The price tag and the payoff
Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2025 7:20 am
While the bags are a free gift for the celebs who get them, there often are costs associated with participating in swag bags.
While Monica did not pay a fee, Lash says fees to participate in the bags can range from $500 to as much as $50,000, something that’s determined on a case-by-case basis. That’s because your product is not only being included in the bag, but also being heavily promoted by the planning firm.
Product samples are also australia mobile database donated by the participating brand. For something like the Grammys, where there were 130 bags in total, that can add up to a lot of donated product. Add that cost to the fees and it becomes clear that participating in these bags is a considerable expense and could easily blow a marketing plan budget.
For a brand thinking of participating, you need to weigh that cost against the potential benefits. In Monica’s case, potential media exposure for The Chai Box was worth the trade-off.
“Based on past experience, we always see a considerable increase in sales when receiving mentions in media and publications,” she says. “Given the high visibility surrounding the Oscars, we knew that the brand awareness would certainly make the expense worthwhile.”
The firms that make these bags put a lot of effort into promoting each item included, and indeed, this year’s Oscars bag received media coverage in publications like Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, and others. Of course, there are no guarantees of product mentions, but that’s the gamble. The Chai Box was able to get some shoutouts, which it shared on Instagram.
The other hope is the celebrity recipients will share your products on their own social media, or be seen wearing or using it. It would be like working with the world’s biggest influencers. But again, there’s no guarantee.
While Monica did not pay a fee, Lash says fees to participate in the bags can range from $500 to as much as $50,000, something that’s determined on a case-by-case basis. That’s because your product is not only being included in the bag, but also being heavily promoted by the planning firm.
Product samples are also australia mobile database donated by the participating brand. For something like the Grammys, where there were 130 bags in total, that can add up to a lot of donated product. Add that cost to the fees and it becomes clear that participating in these bags is a considerable expense and could easily blow a marketing plan budget.
For a brand thinking of participating, you need to weigh that cost against the potential benefits. In Monica’s case, potential media exposure for The Chai Box was worth the trade-off.
“Based on past experience, we always see a considerable increase in sales when receiving mentions in media and publications,” she says. “Given the high visibility surrounding the Oscars, we knew that the brand awareness would certainly make the expense worthwhile.”
The firms that make these bags put a lot of effort into promoting each item included, and indeed, this year’s Oscars bag received media coverage in publications like Cosmopolitan, InStyle, Forbes, The Hollywood Reporter, and others. Of course, there are no guarantees of product mentions, but that’s the gamble. The Chai Box was able to get some shoutouts, which it shared on Instagram.
The other hope is the celebrity recipients will share your products on their own social media, or be seen wearing or using it. It would be like working with the world’s biggest influencers. But again, there’s no guarantee.