HMD Global, the company that now produces Nokia phones, has revealed that it is the official phone partner for the 25th James Bond movie, No Time To Die.

HMD has decided to proceed with its plans to announce the partnership, despite the fact that the release of the movie was yesterday pushed back to 12 November, due to the coronavirus outbreak. No doubt the movie tie-in will play such a prominent part in the launch of new Nokia handsets over the coming months that it had no other choice.

A range of Nokia phones will appear in the movie, forming part of an integrated campaign running across cinema, digital, social, OOH and retail, which will launch globally on Sunday 8 March, International Women’s Day. It kicks off with a 90-second video, revealing a glimpse of upcoming Nokia smartphones.

The commercial, featuring Lashana Lynch as Agent Nomi, was inspired by the film and directed by BAFTA Award-winning director Amma Asante. It forms part of HMD Global’s largest ever global marketing campaign, showcasing Nokia smartphones as ‘The Only Gadget You’ll Ever Need’.
The commercial is filmed against the backdrop of the distinctive London skyline, featuring St Paul’s and The Shard. Agent Nomi utilises the range of capabilities on her new, soon-to-be-revealed Nokia smartphone, to complete her mission.

HMD had originally planned to preview the ad today, but now says it will be released ahead of the launch of the commercial, on 8 March. The phone that features in the commercial will be fully unveiled on 19 March, which, as the release points out in a glass half-full sort of way, is “in plenty of time for No Time To Die, which is coming to UK cinemas on 12 November 2020”.

Asante said: “I am always drawn to projects that portray women as strong and intellectual – the campaign script was beautifully crafted to present Nomi as a kick-ass agent not afraid of going up against the bad guys and doing it with irreverent humour at the same time.”

HMD Global’s chief product officer, Juho Sarvikas, put a positive spin on the delay of the release of the movie, saying: “Following the announcement to postpone the movie launch to 12 November, we now have a really exciting year ahead of us in the build up to this much anticipated release. Few cultural properties place technology at the heart of their appeal quite like No Time To Die. The film’s commitment to innovation, paired with the amazing technology built into each Nokia smartphone, making our devices the only gadget that anyone – even a 00 agent – will ever need, makes this partnership a real force to be reckoned with.”