You must have heard and experienced the concept of ‘return gifts’ or party favors, as the adults call it today. It’s a token of appreciation and thoughtfulness that is gifted to the guests when they attend a party or an event. You know like the famous ‘Koffee with Karan’ gift hamper? If you thought that was posh, wait till you read about the Oscar ‘swag bag’ that is given to Oscar nominees every year. While the winners obviously take the golden trophy back home, nominees don’t return empty-handed either.
It’s been an annual ritual carried by a marketing company called ‘Distinctive Assets’, which is not actually affiliated by the Academy but indulges in hampers for the nominees in the top categories, namely; best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best director.
This year’s swag bag is worth a whopping $100,000 dollars, which is around 65 lakh rupees! The contents are pretty interesting as well. It contains a freaking 12-night trip to Tanzania, a full week Hawaiian escapade in a resort, a health and ancestry service package, a levitating Bluetooth speaker, a gorgeous diamond necklace and some expensive collagen and gold masks thrown in. This is just the icing on the cake. If shenanigans interest you, here’s the full list :
-Edible jewelry from Chocolatines
-Underarm sweat patches from Dandi Patch
-Lemonade-flavored moonshine from Southern Wicked Lemonade
-A 12-night Tanzania trip for two from International Expeditions
-A seven-day Hawaii trip at Koloa Landing Resort in Poipu
-A stay at Avaton Luxury Villas Resort in Halkidiki, Greece
-A weeklong spa retreat at Golden Door
-Pepperface, a lightweight pepper spray
-Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation dental procedure
-23andMe genetic service
-A Luxura Diamonds “conflict-free” necklace
-NeverMissed dating app, available pre-launch
-A 10,000 bowl donation to an animal shelter of their choice and bags of pet food from Halo, Purely For Pets
-MZ Skin firming eye cream and golden treatment mask
-A lifetime supply of Oxygenetix foundation
-Locally grown oranges, courtesy of delivery app EpiFruit
-A memoir by Esther Fairfax about her mother, Lotte Berk, the innovator of Barre
-Healing Saint’s skin serum and follicle stimulant
-Jarritos, the Mexican soda
-10 sessions with personal trainer Alexis Seletzky
-A one-year supply of ALLE´L’s skin care program
-Bangarang’s Positive Cube, a wooden box filled with 199 cards of positive action and quotes
-Color-changing lipstick from Blush & Whimsy
-Charleston & Harlow soy candles
-Danish cookbook, Cook Yourself Happy
-Curlee Girlee children’s book
-Organic, vegan and small-batch Delicacies lollipops
-Face It and Eye Love It facewash and makeup removers
-Happiest Tee’s American-made T-shirts
-Weight loss supplement Hydroxycut Organic
-10-piece Inception of Beauty makeup set
-Justice for Vets symbolic coin
-An 18-minute phobia-relief session with Kalliope
-LE CE`LINE eyelashes products
-Liwu jewelry from Ireland
-Look Fabulous Forever makeup specially formulated for older women
-My Magic Mud toothpaste, which combines activated coconut shell charcoal and bentonite clay
-M.Y.O. cosmetic clutch
-99 Creative WOWs creativity kit
-Nurse Gigi skin rejuvenation procedures
-Oumere anti-aging skincare
-Paiva Aloe cleanser and mask
-PETA’s cruelty-free bath bombs
-2 gourmet pretzel gift boxes from Posh Pretzels
-A.I. beauty startup PROVEN’s personalized skincare products
-Quincy Herbals detox tea
-Quip’s oral care kit
-Commissioned work from Reian Williams Fine Art
-Rouge Maple syrup
-Safi Kilima bracelet with oval tanzanite stones
-Shop Modern Innovations’ levitating Bluetooth speaker
-The Green Garmento’s multi-use Gigantote
-Vaya’s Tyffyn lunchboxes
-Totalee hair care products
-Wetsleeve on-the-go hydration sleeve
-Youthblast anti-aging supplement and 24k Gold Facial
According to Forbes, the companies which participate to be a part of this bag pay out of their own will because the recipients have a high value attached with their name and stature of work. I think even KJO will need a minute to just digest all of that.
via GIPHY
The people getting these goodie bags already have a lot of swag of their own and while it a great marketing strategy for the brands, it is still unbelievably, insanely expensive for mere mortals like us.