If you follow the Oscars it might be shocking to learn about the swag bags that the celebrities received that were worth over $160,000. For those of us who cannot afford many of the luxury items that were included in the gift bags, it might not make sense that celebrities who can afford it all would be getting it for free.
Many PR and marketing firms are responsible for the swag bags that are given out at the Oscars. PR firms like GBK Productions(some say the best PR firm in LA), use these events as an opportunity to get free endorsements from celebrities for their products.
When a company hires a PR firm, they are hiring someone to help get their products noticed. PR firms can look at the budget that is available for advertising and really the make the most of what a company can spend. This means that the company can get a lot more for their money when they hire a PR firm rather than attempting to market or advertise their products alone. The idea behind hiring someone is that the company wants to have the biggest impact possible with their advertising and marketing. This is why celebrities are given swag bags full of goodies.
The Main Reason Celebrities Are Given Swag
There are a ton of reasons that celebrities are given swag but there is one main reason behind this type of marketing plan.
Endorsements Cost a Ton
Everyone finds that when a celebrity endorses their products, they sell more of these products. Many times an endorsement deal can cost millions of dollars. However giving away free swag to celebrities costs just a fraction of that. When the celebrity uses the swag it is like a free endorsement from them.
Two Additional Ways to Get Celebrities to Endorse Your Product Without an Endorsement Deal
The following are two great ways that you can get a celebrity to do an endorsement of your product without the high price tag of an endorsement deal.
Small Appearances
While it might not be in your budget to hire a celebrity to endorse your product, it costs a lot less money to have them show up for an appearance. The buzz generated from an appearance can last throughout the year.
Send Products
You can also send a celebrity samples of your product. This means that the celebrity might be photographed with it. This can get your product into magazines, on websites, and more. So you can really generate a buzz when you give a celebrity your products.
Even if your favorite nominee was not among the list of winners, it appears that they made out big with their great bag of swag. This year’s bags contained vacations, a year of car rentals, a psychic reading, cosmetic procedures, a piece of custom furniture, and more.