9. Sales of China Bulldog Ornaments Skyrocketed Thanks To Skyfall
As mentioned in the intro, few films have embraced the concept of product placement so freely as the Bond franchise. If you don't want what 007's driving, drinking or dressed in then you're clearly immune to the magic of marketing. And yet Skyfall offered not one but two sneaky forms of counter-attack. If Q's Scrabble mug didn't get you, then M's bulldog ornament bloody well will. Perhaps you were devastated by the old dear's passing and it's simply something to remember her by. Perhaps you saw it as a perfect symbol of Bond, of Blighty and of the battle-axe herself. Or perhaps it's because you have a soft spot for cheap, jingoistic tat. Either way the bulldog ornament so beloved by M, and subsequently 'bequeathed' to Bond, has found its way from the silver screen to shelf displays all across the nation. When the film opened last October, the Royal Doulton ornament was almost instantly snapped up - to the extent that many online retailers sold out before Christmas and are only now advertising that it's back in stock. Similarly, and despite how few names begin with the letter Q, the Scrabble mug also proved to be a best-seller across the, erm, board. If the merchandising team behind Man of Steel doesn't give us a glimpse of General Zod's coffee mug, then they're missing a trick.