The Bond Market

James Bond has broken up some ambitious conspiracies in his time, but none quite so devilishly capable of realization as the one he is involved in right now. As a man of action and the good life, the dashing secret agent created by Ian Fleming has grown so popular, through twelve books and three movies, that entrepreneurs in some 70 countries are moving in to make a profit on his reputation.

From London to Los Angeles, everything from suits and trenchcoats to cuff links and toiletries is going on sale under the James Bond label of 007--the digits that authorize Bond to kill. In Britain, where the Bond market will reach $14 million this year, promoters have lined up 20 licensed manufacturers for shoes, vodka and golf equipment, are now negotiating with one of London's largest tailors. In Italy, while philosophers ponder the meaning of Bond as the modern hero, the manufacturers are trying to grab licenses for 007 products.

Berettas & Bedsheets. In one of the greatest promotional drives ever staged, 3,500 stores throughout France will soon pack counters and racks with Bond-inspired goods. Last week Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris opened a special Bond Boutique featuring gold-colored mannequins and 007 clothing and jewelry. After a market study found Bond France's top "identification phenomenon" with men 30 to 35 years old, 14 manufacturers obtained licenses to use the 007 label. A Frenchman can put on 007 pajamas and slide in between James Bond bedsheets; he can also buy the woman in his life gold-colored underwear, an 007 negligee or a short Secret Agent Baby Doll nightie.

The U.S. is marked as the biggest target of all. Colgate-Palmolive is test-marketing an 007 line of men's toiletries "that make any man dangerous." In May, Revere Knitting Mills will bring out knit shirts with the numerals 007 embroidered on them. Spatz Bros, of New York is making a new 007 trench-coat with secret pockets, throws a plastic Beretta into the bargain. Weldon Manufacturing is planning his and hers pajamas with secret pockets, and Harry Diamond Corp. is making 007 swimsuits and sports shirts. Angostura Bitters has begun pushing an 007 drink--gin or vodka with lemon juice, sugar, soda and two dashes of bitters--served, naturally, in a Baccarat highball glass. . For younger Bondsmen, Multiple Products plans to market a toy attache case, complete with a four-piece toy sniper rifle, plastic dagger, decoding machine and a "searchproof" lock that, if tampered with, triggers a cap-firing device. Last week Roulette released a new rock'n'roll recording, Double-O-Seven, the lament of a young man whose "baby went and fell in love with Double-OSeven."

Sharp Eye. The mastermind of this international conspiracy is Mervyn Brodie, 42, a Briton who wears Savile Row suits in the Bond manner but has a sharper eye than Bond for figures--profit figures. An avid reader of Bond, he got the idea for using him commercially, persuaded the movie producers and the two companies that own the rights to the Fleming books to go along in return for a share of the royalties. Brodie plans to use the Bond image to attract nearly all age groups. He figures that young fans, the six-twelve group (whose sizes are labeled 0031), buy the toys and clothes because of Bond's way with guns and fast cars. The older fans, called the "kiss-kiss" group, are sold by the suave man-of-the-world Bond. So far, Brodie has been too busy to figure out how to exploit Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, Ian Fleming's Bond-like book for children. Give him time.

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