Luxury products worth about $350,000 are being packaged this year. They will be gifted to the top acting and directing Oscar nominees. Marketer Lash Fary of Distinctive Assets has curated this tradition for 24 years.
Fary assembles the unofficial gift bags independently of the Academy. The goal, he says, is simple. Make nominees feel celebrated. Give small and emerging brands a global spotlight.
One of those small businesses is Rescue Spa, founded by Danuta Mieloch.
Photo: Reuters
For Mieloch, participating in the Oscars gift bag is more than a marketing opportunity. “I think this is one of the most exciting moments,” she said. “Coming from Poland 30-something years ago and now being at the Oscars — it means a lot.”
Companies pay a fee to include their products. Rescue Spa is contributing $450 worth of treatments and goods this year per bag. It’s the brand’s third time being featured, and Mieloch says the exposure is worth the investment.
“I feel like it positions us in a better place. And it aligns with our philosophy. Being nominated requires diligence. It takes a lot of work and excellence. I feel like my products are aligned with that,” she added.
Photo: Reuters
The gift haul ranges from inexpensive snacks to a home interior design package. This could be anything from a six-figure full home rebuild to a more modest redo of a room. The room might be redesigned because the nominee’s kids have gone off to college, Fary said.
This year’s gift bag is actually a small suitcase. It also includes five vacations. These vacations whisk nominees from snow-covered villas in Finland to the beaches of Costa Rica.
While Fary doesn’t always hear directly from recipients, the social-media trail tells him all he needs to know.
“Whenever they take a trip and post pictures. They also go in and get the waitlisted Sculpt and Lift facial at Rescue Spa. One of the nominees already does this. That’s the best feedback of all,” he said.
Cover photo: Reuters
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