UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Aucoin, Brendan
Dept./Program:
English
Year:
2012
Degree:
MA
Abstract:
This project looks to explore the cultural significance of the relationship between Aston Martin and the James Bond franchise within the realm of marketing in popular culture. In doing so I plan to integrate Naomi Klein's work on marketing, No Logo, with Chris Barker's theories of popular culture as a way of examining Bond and Aston Martin to show how the two brands have formed and profited from a long lasting, symbiotic brand identity in popular culture. It has been estimated that approximately half of the world's population has seen a James Bond film; with such widespread saturation of Bond as a figure of popular culture there is surprisingly little academic discourse about the impact Bond has had as a popular cultural icon. Along with Bond, several premium brands have ridden to pop cultural notoriety with Fleming's secret agent. Most notably is the Aston Martin brand of automobiles. The two have together shared screen time in nine of the twenty-two Bond films, thisi s contrary to the way Fleming originally wrote Bond, where he drove a Bentley in all but Goldfinger. Even the reboot to the Bond story that took place in 2006's Casino Royale saw Bond sticking with Aston Martin despite the film's otherwise strict adherence to Fleming's novel.
Aside from the proliferation ofthe Bond films as a whole, each individual film acts as a time capsule showing the progression of marketing using the Bond image from the 1950's through to modern time. Each Bond film is set in the contemporary providing a consistent window through which to view and study popular culture. Indeed, the Bond image, while staying true to its core, has evolved and developed over the years. Each generation has a Bond image; likewise each image of Bond has a corresponding Aston Martin. From a historical standpoint, the two brands exist as contemporaries of each other as well as being two of the most recognizable exports of England since the middle of the last century. Either of the two brands can be seen as ambassadors of a certain aspirational image for Bond fans to follow. With Bond 23, Skyfall, in production currently, it is clear that the Bond franchise will continue to be a force on pop culture for the foreseeable future, providing grounds and impetus to continue the Bond discourse.
Aside from the proliferation ofthe Bond films as a whole, each individual film acts as a time capsule showing the progression of marketing using the Bond image from the 1950's through to modern time. Each Bond film is set in the contemporary providing a consistent window through which to view and study popular culture. Indeed, the Bond image, while staying true to its core, has evolved and developed over the years. Each generation has a Bond image; likewise each image of Bond has a corresponding Aston Martin. From a historical standpoint, the two brands exist as contemporaries of each other as well as being two of the most recognizable exports of England since the middle of the last century. Either of the two brands can be seen as ambassadors of a certain aspirational image for Bond fans to follow. With Bond 23, Skyfall, in production currently, it is clear that the Bond franchise will continue to be a force on pop culture for the foreseeable future, providing grounds and impetus to continue the Bond discourse.