DHL Delivers a Package to 007 in Ad That's Like a Mini Bond Film

DHL morphs into Her Majesty’s not-so-secret delivery service in a fun tie-in with the new James Bond film, No Time to Die. The 25th entry in the franchise arrives in U.K. theaters on Sept. 30, with a U.S. premiere set for Oct. 8 (following three postponements due to Covid).

Smuggler’s Adam Berg directs 180 Amsterdam’s fiery, F/X-fueled car chase through the neon-soaked streets of Shanghai, with an unflappable DHL dude determined to pass a package to Agent 007 amid sparky crashes and explosions:

So, what’s in that parcel? Martini glasses? Martini glasses that are also (insert gaudy spy gadget here). A renewed license to kill? Do such authorizations … expire?

No Time to Die photography director Linus Sandgren and assistant stunt coordinator Pete White staged the :90 with cinematic flair. Stunt driver Ben Collins, who also worked on the film, drove 007’s iconic Aston Martin DB5 in the commercial.

Carly Simon’s “The Spy Who Loved Me,” from the 1977 Bond flick of the same name, seems an odd soundtrack choice, but provides a pleasingly mellow counterpoint to the noisy pyrotechnics.

“The campaign is quintessentially Bond, with high energy and tongue-in-cheek humor, all while remaining firmly in the DHL world,” says DHL rep Monika Schaller in a statement. “The message is that DHL is the logistics partner you can rely on even if the mission is unusual or complex.”

DHL handled equipment logistics during the No Time to Die shoot, transporting props, costumes and camera gear. The company will post footage of such efforts, plus BTS clips from the commercial, on a dedicated website. That venue also features the :90, which will also run across TV and digital channels.

The campaign boasts print and online banners, too.

CREDITS

Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Adam Berg
Executive Producers: Sara Flood, Patrick Milling-Smith, Brian Carmody
Managing Director: Fergus Brown
Producer: Ben Croker
DOP: Linus Sandgren

1st AD: Tony Fernandes

Editor: Paul Hardcastle
VFX Supervisor: Alex Lovejoy

Indochina Productions:
EP: Nicholas Simon
Producer: Michael Cody
PM: Chidchanok Plodripu
Prod Coordinator: Mattana Suthammasa

Production Designer: Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat
Art Director: Vasu Kantatham
Graphic Designer: Chathip Henprasert
Wardrobe: Srirattana Wattanavitkul
MuA: Sudjai Tangsiripracha
Hair: Amnuay Saelim
Casting: Sarawanee Yodnoon

180 Kingsday:
Agency Producer: James Southward
Creative Director: John Messum
Copywriter: Alex Bolderoff
Art Director: Helen King
Creative: Emil Cholich
Account Director: Abraham Turner
Business Director: Ben Dodwell

DHL:
Head of Group Brand Advertising: Dirk Use
Senior Marketing Comm Manager: Mandy Au Yeung/Shanshan Gu
Brand Marketing: Moritz Sattler