DATE=12/22/97 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-38515 TITLE= B-M-W AND AGENT 007 BYLINE= JOHN BIRCHARD DATELINE= WASHINGTON CONTENT= INTRO: THE FICTIONAL SECRET AGENT DOUBLE-OH-7 -- JAMES BOND -- IS BACK IN A NEW FILM AND THE FAMED MOVIE HERO IS AGAIN SHOWING HIS SPECIAL BRAND OF DERRING-DO. BOND IS KNOWN FOR EMPLOYING HIGH-TECH GADGETS AND DRIVING FANCY CARS. V-O-A'S JOHN BERCHARD REPORTS THAT IN HIS NEW FILM,THE SECRET AGENT'S VEHICLES COME FROM THE GERMAN CARMAKER, B-M-W. TEXT: THE LATEST BOND FILM MARKS THE SECOND TIME HE HAS CHOSEN B-M-W PRODUCTS. IN LATE 1995, THE COMPANY'S NEW Z-3 ROADSTER MADE ITS WORLD DEBUT IN THE FILM "GOLDENEYE" BEFORE THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY ON THE MARKET. JIM MCDOWELL, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING FOR B-M-W OF NORTH AMERICA, SAYS THE IMPACT OF THAT MOVIE EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS. /// MCDOWELL ACT /// OUR GOAL WAS, THROUGH A NUMBER OF INNOVATIVE MEASURES INCLUDING HAVING THE CAR IN THE FILM, THAT WE WOULD PRE-SELL 5-THOUSAND CARS BEFORE PRODUCTION BEGAN IN THE UNITED STATES. AND WE ACTUALLY ENDED UP PRE-SELLING MORE THAN 10-THOUSAND CARS, MORE THAN SIX WEEKS BEFORE PRODUCTION BEGAN. SO, IN THAT REGARD, WE GOT AN AWFUL LOT OF ATTENTION BEHIND THE NEW ROADSTER. WE'RE CERTAIN THE FILM WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT. /// END ACT /// MISTER MCDOWELL SAYS HIS COMPANY HAS A POLICY OF PLACING CARS WITH FILM STUDIOS AS A SERVICE. HE SAYS HIS PEOPLE READ SCRIPTS AND, DEPENDING ON THE USE OF THE CAR, THEY MAKE VEHICLES AVAILABLE. /// MCDOWELL ACT /// IN THE CASE OF "GOLDENEYE", WE GAVE THEM AN EXTRA-SPECIAL OFFER, WHICH WAS -- WE SAID "WOULD YOU LIKE A CAR THAT'S NOT YET IN THE MARKET?". WE THOUGHT THAT WAS FITTING, GIVEN BOND'S IMAGE, THAT HE COULD BE DRIVING SOMETHING THAT WOULD LOOK SO EXOTIC THAT PEOPLE WOULD WONDER NOT ONLY WHAT BOND WAS DOING, BUT WHERE THAT CAR CAME FROM AND WHAT IT WAS. /// END ACT /// IN THE NEW FILM, DOUBLE-OH-7 HAS TWO B-M-W'S: THE NEW "CRUISER" MOTORCYCLE ON WHICH BOND, PORTRAYED BY ACTOR PIERCE BROSNAN, AND CO-STAR MICHELLE YEOH, ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE THEIR COMMON ENEMIES... AND THE 750-IL TOP-OF-THE-LINE LUXURY SEDAN. IN THE FILM THAT CAR SUCH NON-STANDARD ITEMS AS ROCKET LAUNCHERS AND A REMOTE-CONTROL DRIVING SYSTEM. JIM MCDOWELL SAYS B-M-WHAS A POLICY OF NOT PAYING FILM STUDIOS TO PUT THEIR CARS ON THE SILVER SCREEN. HOWEVER THERE ARE ADVANTAGES FOR THE MOVIEMAKERS. /// MCDOWELL ACTUALITY /// WHAT WE SAID WE WOULD DO IN THIS INSTANCE IS RUN B-M-W ADVERTISING THAT PUTS THE OVERALL B-M-W PRODUCT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FILM. SO, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR TELEVISION ADS, THEY ARE THOROUGHLY, THROUGH-AND-THROUGH, B-M-W TELEVISION SPOTS CONSTRUCTED FROM ACTUAL FOOTAGE FROM THE FILM. SO, IT IS DEFINITELY A B-M-W AD, BUT IT HELPS MAKE YOU AWARE THAT A NEW BOND FILM IS OUT, "TOMORROW NEVER DIES". /// END ACTUALITY /// BEFORE LOANING A CAR, SAYS MISTER MCDOWELL, THE COMPANY WANTS TO KNOW HOW IT IS WRITTEN INTO THE SCRIPT. HE SAYS THEN THE DECISION IS MADE WHETHER OR NOT TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION. /// MCDOWELL ACTUALITY /// WE ARE NOT IN THE POSITION OF TELLING PEOPLE WHAT THEY SHOULD PUT IN THEIR SCRIPTS. BUT WE CAN SAY WHETHER WE THINK IT'S IN KEEPING WITH THE IMAGE OF B-M-W OR NOT. IF IT ISN'T, WE JUST WON'T GO AHEAD WITH THE EFFORT. /// END ACTUALITY /// JIM MCDOWELL SAYS HIS COMPANY IS ALWAYS OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPOSE ITS PRODUCTS, BUT THAT THEY LIKE TO PICK THEIR "SPOTS". HE SAYS IT'S POSSIBLE TO OVERDO SUCH A THING. HE FEELS B-M-W HAS WHAT HE CALLS A "GOOD TRADITION GOING WITH (JAMES) BOND", A TRADITION HE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE. (SIGNED) NEB/JB/MGB 22-Dec-97 4:05 PM EST (2105 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .