Bond, Business and Branding - what can we learn from 007?

If you were a boy growing up in the 1980s it was a good time. There was Dangermouse on the TV, Star Wars in the cinema and Adam Ant on the radio. However, if you were a fan of James Bond, 1983 was a particularly good year.

There were two James Bond films released with the two best Bond actors in competition with each other. Here is the story of why one was more successful than the other and what your business can learn from it.

The origins of Thunderball

The James Bond films were launched in 1962 with Sean Connery in the role of Bond. He initially starred in five movies. One of those five films was called “Thunderball”. Before the first Bond movie was produced, Ian Fleming was trying to get ideas together for Bond movies and met with a couple of guys called Jack Whittingham and Kevin McClory. Together they cobbled together a script but it never got off the ground and Fleming eventually used the ideas for his “Thunderball” novel. By the time Bond films WERE being made and the time had come to get a “Thunderball” movie off the ground, McClory waded in saying the idea was partially his and he wanted certain rights to the movie. In the end he got a Producer credit and had the option to film a remake but only after 10 years.

How did we end up with two Bond films?

In the ‘70s, Connery did come back to the official series on one occasion for “Diamonds Are Forever”, then the role was handed on to Roger Moore. By the early ‘80s Moore had fulfilled his contract of four Bond movies and had decided not to do a fifth but was eventually coaxed back to shoot “For Your Eyes Only” (released in 1981). But now as far as Moore was concerned that was it. Meanwhile, Kevin McClory had scored a major coup. Not only was he going to remake “Thunderball” but he had talked Sean Connery into playing James Bond. This got the producers of the Bond series worried. So in 1983 there would be two James Bond movies released.

Why Roger Moore was coaxed back

Once news got out that Sean Connery would be playing James Bond in the “Thunderball” remake, Albert R Broccoli – the man behind every official James Bond film since 1962 – gave up screen testing actors to take over from Moore. He managed to talk Roger into remaining with the series for his sixth consecutive outing as Bond. Eventually the 13th official Bond movie – “Octopussy” – was released in cinemas on 6th June. However, the “Battle of the Bonds” (as the media was calling it) turned out to be somewhat delayed.

Let the battle commence

The “Thunderball” remake was now called “Never Say Never Again” (a title suggested by Connery’s wife as a joke about his reluctance to play Bond). The movie didn’t appear in cinemas that summer. There were numerous production problems and it was rumoured that Connery wasn’t getting on with his director, Irvin Kershner (famous for directing “The Empire Strikes Back”). However, when it came to “Octopussy”, the production was like a well-oiled machine. The team behind Moore’s movie had worked together for decades and were like one big family. Moore’s director, John Glen had also directed him in his previous Bond movie and worked in other positions on previous Bond movies since the 1960s.

Eventually, the troubled “Never Say Never Again” movie WAS released on 7th October – four months after “Octopussy”. But what did the audiences think? While the critics were welcoming Connery back to the role with open arms, the box office figures told another story. Adjusted for inflation, “Octopussy” made $373m at the box office. “Never Say Never Again” made $314m. So “Octopussy” won. But why? We’re always told that Connery is the best Bond. It’s simple…

Branding.