He started as a literary character in 1952 from the mind of Ian Fleming.
He was made famous before we ever actually saw him. For a decade, he was shaped in our minds before he was created in front of our very eyes.
He was given a try on television in 1954 and on radio in 1956.
He was crystallized by Sean Connery on the movie screen in 1962. This was the first time we actually saw him culminated for the first time. For many, we haven't really seen him since Mr. Connery stopped being his likeness.
However, since 1952 James Bond has become a brand.
The logo, the song, the girls, the martinis, the cars, the villains, the boss M, plus the man himself all make up a complex series of components called the James Bond brand.
When you go to a James Bond movie, you know there will be some sharp horn blasts to the Bond theme with the familiar gun barrel sequence.
Next comes an action packed opening action event, followed by a great theme song by the pop star of the day (whether it's Shirley Bassey, Paul McCartney, Madonna, etc...) then you are launched into the adventure itself including chases, explosions, femme fetales, villains wanting world domination.
We've been through 21 official movie versions of Bond and 2 unofficial ones. The official movie versions are supposed to be the ones done by Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman's EON production company. The latest actor to play James Bond is our eighth incarnation, including Barry Nelson and David Niven in little known versions. Even though Pierce Brosnan made a strong impression, Sean Connery is still the iconic vision of James Bond.
The Bond Brand represents a truly smashable brand. If you took the elements of James Bond and smashed them into pieces, it would still be recognizable. Martinis are identifiable with Bond. Tuxedos in a casino are identifiable with Bond. Fast cars are identifiable with Bond, Aston Martin in particular. Since Ursula Andress came out of the ocean in that white bikini, girls in bikinis have been associated with Bond.
These pieces assembled become the Bond matrix that we've seen in 21 movies in a row. The formula has not deviated much in 44 years, yet, we still go to see the latest version of these pieces put together in it's latest title which today is "Casino Royale".
Ann Marie says that James Bond shouldn't be blond. That's because Sean Connery will always be Bond to her. Does changing Bond's hair color hurt the franchise? No, because it's just a piece of the whole brand. In Casino Royale, they are re-starting the franchise, picking up on some back-story of James Bond, rather than trying to change him into Jason Bourne. Personally, I think that's a smart move. James Bond is James Bond. He's not Jason Bourne. Just as Jason Bourne is not James Bond. Bourne is a brand that is bring built. Bond is a brand that has to be maintained. The question is, will Daniel Craig be able to maintain the Bond brand?
The past incarnations of George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton suggest he will. Because Bond is not an actor. Bond is, well, Bond.
James Bond is the second most successful movie franchise after Star Wars. Even though we can predict 90% of what's going to happen in the latest version, we still go. Why? Because the Bond Brand is part of our lives. It's multi-generational. It's multi-dimensional. It's timeless.
Well done, Mr.Bond.