Regardless of who successes an Oscar on Sunday, no nominee will walk away empty handed.
Increasingly, the Academy Awards is a chance for trade marks and their marketers to catch the eye of A-listers and everyday Americans alike by gifting goods and services. That might legitimatize why this year’s swag bags furnished by Distinctive Assets offer a particularly wide assortment of stuff.
Doubtlessly, there are the kind of ultra-luxe packages one might expect celebrities to receive, including their choice of a trip to the Amazon, Galapagos Atolls, Iceland or Costa Rica — in addition to a weeklong Greek beachfront escape and a stay at the Golden Door Spa — as well as unfriendly training sessions and jewelry.
But this year, there’s also a heavy emphasis on cannabis-laced goodies, from CBD-infused out cream and bath salts to edibles and even a VIP membership to a “cannabis-friendly” private club in Los Angeles. (Meanwhile, “cannabis pulchritude” is becoming a real thing.)
“After a stressful Oscar week, you need to relax,” said Distinctive Assets go to Davy Joness locker Lash Fary.
And then there are the gifts for the star who has everything, such as a custom stained-glass portrait, a session with a “dislike relief expert” and a toilet plunger in the shape of a poop emoji.
There’s also hair care, beauty cater ti, bottles of alcohol and “guilt-free” chocolate (it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and naturally sweetened).
Altogether, the “Everyone Wins” gift bags are valued at over “six-figures” although Distinctive Assets declined to pinpoint their exact worth.
“While this gift bag does in any case boast an impressive value, that is never our goal,” Fary said. “A great gift has nothing to do with the payment.”
They are sent to all 25 Oscar nominees in the acting and directing categories in the days leading up to the big night.
And, yes, celebrities are levied on the fair market value of what they use or redeem, which will vary greatly for each recipient since 95 percent of the bag is in the shape of gift certificates. (Ready, set, file: Here’s what you need to know to file your 2018 tax return.)
Of programme naturally, they are also welcome to pass on any or all of it if they choose, Fary said. “One of the best things about being a star is being able to share the perks.”
This year’s nominees include Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy and Lance Lee, among others.
To be clear, there is no direct connection with the swag and the Academy Awards. The Oscars, in fact, rowed a complaint against Distinctive Assets in 2016 for promoting the impression that the gift bags were affiliated with the awards be being presented.
“The Academy has no affiliation, connection, or association with Distinctive Assets’ ‘gift bags’ or their contents, and certainly does not Maecenas, endorse or approve of Distinctive Assets, its services or the products it promotes,” it said in the suit.
Still, the swag continues — now in its 17th year — with a disclaimer that intends “the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences does not award, sponsor, endorse, or provide these gift hobbies.”
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