Distinctive Assets Founder Goes Behind The Scenes With Hollywood Branded Influencer Marketing Agency
Ever wonder what it’s like inside those tents at awards show and the Academy Awards where celebrities go to get all that expensive free stuff put out by advertisers.
This article takes you behind-the-scenes with the company that started it all, Distinctive Assets. One of the industry’s top product placement companies, Hollywood Branded, conducted an excellent interview with Distinctive Assets Founder and President Lash Fary and was kind enough to share it with PubClub.com. Fary specializes in gift bagging at the Grammys, but the same applies to the Oscars and other awards shows.
What he had to say is fascinating and provides great inside into the gift-bag process.
“The talent comes in, they check in,” Fary explained. “We assign them an escort. They get a huge duffle bag. It’s sort of trick or treat style. They walk around to each vendor; they get an introduction.
“Each client is able to do sort of what I call their 90-second elevator spiel about their brand and why it’s cool and what they’re giving them. The celebrity gets it.”
Celebrities Love The Gift Lounge Perk
“These are folks who were already there at rehearsals, they’re already onsite, they’re already in the zone of being at the award show and having fun,” Fary explained to Hollywood Branded. “What we’ve done, and what we do at these shows, is become sort of an expected part to the point where when Mary J. Blige shows up at the Grammys, one of her first questions is ‘where’s the gift lounge?,” because they know it’s a fun perk.
“I remember four years ago, our first guest, literally, our first celebrity guest, was Sting and he walked in, and I think people were like, ‘wow. Legit people are really are going to be coming through this event.’
“Then, Rihanna came through later in that day with her girlfriends, and I think people were really taken aback by it. ‘Oh, we didn’t think Rihanna would do it.’ I’m like, ‘Rihanna loves it,’ especially if she’s had a tough rehearsal. She loves to come through and shop on the condition that she can bring her girlfriends with her that she’s brought, which we’re happy to accommodate them.
“Justin Bieber has come through, and what I particularly love about, especially, the Grammys is that you get stars on the upswing a lot of the time. So, when Justin Bieber came through, he was just a little YouTube sensation from Canada that no one had really heard of much about at the time. The pictures from that Grammy Lounge he came through, probably, 10 years ago now, some of these clients are still using, and are still using for promotion, and they’re still able to say Justin Bieber received their gift because there’s longevity to some of these celebrities.”
No Photos Allowed With The Celebrities
Her’s something really interesting in this age of selfies. No photos are allowed from those handing out the gifts. If that happens, the person’s credential is yanked and their products are no longer allowed at the event.
“They cannot take photos on their own, on their cell phone or otherwise,” Fary told Hollywood Branded. “There’s an exclusive photography contract that the Grammys has with WireImage, so they have to provide all photography onsite, and you’re getting a professional photographer anyway. So, it’s kind of a win-win for the brands.
“They don’t have to pay for it. It’s part of what they’re, separately … It’s all part of what they’re paying my company to do for them. Then they get copies of the photos. They can never take pictures inside because there’s all sorts of restrictions.”
We have WireImage or Getty taking professional photos that the clients get a copy of, again, if the celebrity is willing to do it. Some celebrities won’t hold the product either because they don’t want to or it conflicts with a sponsorship that they might have, but they might take a picture with the company owners.
“That’s always been Sarah Jessica Parker’s sort of line that she draws on photos. She won’t take a picture holding a product, but she’ll take a picture with you as the company owner, which I think is a lovely compromise for somebody who has endorsement complex.”
To read the complete Q&A with Hollywood Branded, click this link.
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