How can I get my handmade jewelry into the gift bags that are given to
celebrities at the Oscars and other events, and how do I place my
jewelry into short articles in fashion magazines such as InStyle (in
short, how do I creat a "buzz" about my unknown product)? Many
jewelry, purse, belt, etc. designers who started out doing it from
their home are often featured in magazines, chosen for Oscar bags,
etc. How do they get their big break? Do I have to pay to place the
product? If so, what steps do I need to take to really get my name out
there?

<Gift bag placement.
There are a number of companies that specialise in putting together
gift bags for award ceremonies, charity events, celebrity dinners etc.
These companies include Distinctive Assets, Buzz Bags and ON 3
Productions. Contact details are given below.

Contributors to the bags are required to donate between 100 and 400
items. The more prestigious the event, the higher the value of the
items. There is also a huge amount of competition to get selected for
the bags. One company reports having up to 3,000 products to choose
from.

In addition to donating items, the contributors are often required to
pay a fee which can range from $1 to $2 per item and as much as
several thousand dollars. The more prestigious the event, the higher
the fee.

For the Academy Awards, products in the official gift bags are chosen
by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition other
marketing companies provide unofficial gift bags.
This article describes the process.
http://www.piercemattie.com/blogs/archives/2004_06.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lounge.
The lounge is a backstage promotional event where companies give away
their products to celebrities. Depending on how prestigious the award
show is, companies pay between $1,000 and $25,000 for the privilege to
take part. Companies including Backstage Creations and Distinctive
Assets organise these events (see below for contact details).
At the 2001 AMAs, Jewelry designer Scott Kay handed out unisex silver
bracelets with a treble-clef charm, each valued at $400. In addition,
he gave a $1,600 sterling silver necklace to Brooke Shields and an
$8,000 diamond-studded, platinum bracelet to show co-host Britney
Spears.
http://www.tennessean.com/entertainment/news/archives/02/01/12366221.shtml
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact details for companies.

1. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy Foundation 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverley Hills, CA 90211-1972
Telephone 310 247 3000
Fax 310 859 9351
Email: ampas@oscars.org
http://www.oscars.org/index.html

2. Distinctive Assets.
Award show services.
Distinctive Assets selects vendors and provides them with the
opportunity to present their products to celebrities in a Gift Basket
or through representation in their gift lounge. Their gifts have been
presented at a number of award ceremonies including the Grammy Awards,
Nickelodeon?s Kids Choice Awards, The Latin Grammy Awards, HBO?s Sex
and the City Fashion Shows, The MTV Movie Awards and the Tony Awards.
http://www.distinctiveassets.com/?local=srv-local/about1

According to this article Distinctive Assets charges vendors $4,000 a
piece to contribute gifts to bags given away to celebrities. (Even
Losing is Lucrative. By Paul Bond. March 23, 2003. USAweekend.com.)
http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030323/030323oscars.html

Distinctive Assets partnered with Caesars Palace to coordinate the
$45,000 bag for nominees in the best actor/actress, best supporting
actor/actress, best director and best picture Oscar categories. (Oscar
nominees bag extravagant goodies. By Young Chang. Seattle Times staff
reporter.)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2001866436_oscarbag29.html

Contact details.
Lash Fary (Co-founder and president)
Distinctive Assets
913 S. Mansfield Avenue, Los Angeles, California
Telephone 323 549 0444
Fax 323 931 1633
Email info@distinctiveassets.com
http://www.distinctiveassets.com/

3. Buzz Bags.
Buzz Bags is a product placement/media company that places products
into goodie bags at high profile events.
http://www.buzzbags.com/

Past events include The 2004 Television Critic Awards Show, The
Heather Mills-McCartney Dinner, BMG Grammy After Party, Womens Tennis
Association Championships and The Santa Barbara Film Festival.
http://www.buzzbags.com/pastevents.html
Contact details.
Jane Ubell-Meyer (co-founder)
Email jane@buzzbags.com
Telephone 212 579 5650
Debra Scott (co-founder)
Email debra@buzzbags.com
Telephone 212 268 8466
http://www.buzzbags.com/contact.html

Buzz Bags has over 3,000 product-providing clients.  (?Media? is a
bigger word than you  think, March 27, 2004. The Media
drop.)http://www.themediadrop.com/archives/000217.html

According to this article, companies whose products are included in
the gift bags pay $1 to $2 per bag. (It?s in the Bag. By Beth Kwon.
Fortune Small Business. Friday, Novermber 8, 2002).
http://www.buzzbags.com/mediafsb.html

4. ON 3 Productions.
This company has provided gift bags and gift lounges for a number of
events including MT Movie Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Video
Music Awards Latino America, Indepenent Spirit Awards, Sundance Film
Festival Awards and Sundance Channel VIP Party.
http://www.on3productions.com/

This article describes the organisation of the gifting for the IFP
Independent Spirit Awards.
http://specialevents.com/eventtools/meetings_lounge_act/

On 3 Productions features a gift lounge allowing celebrities the
opportunity to customise their gift bags.
http://www.abclocal.go.com/kgo/oscars/022704_ent_oscars_gifts.html

Contact details:
Samanta Milo Haft, president.
127 West 26th Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10001
Telephone 212 929 9933
Fax 212 929 9944


5. Backstage Creations.
Backstage Creations allows companies to introduce their products to
celebrities back stage.
http://backstagecreations.com/backstage/profile.htm

At VH1?s ?Big in 2002? event, Backstage Creations set up a tent where
11 companies promoted their products. Participating companies paid
$5,000 to $10,000 plus what they gave away to take part. (The
Hollywood FREE way. Marc Graser David Bloom. December 15, 2002).
http://print.google.com/print/doc?articleid=f9TycRJJFIC

Product placement success stories.
http://backstagecreations.com/success/successstories.html

Contact details:
1522 Cloverfield Boulevard, Suite F, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Telephone 310 264 9100
Fax 310 264 9103
Email: info@backstagecreations.com
http://backstagecreations.com/backstage/contact.htm

6. Reel Jewelry, the product placement division of Lup, provides
independent jewellers the opportunity to be placed on top film and
television productions including How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Sex
and the City, and the Sopranos. They only make a charge for their
services if a product is placed.
Contact details:
Jessica Milstein
Lup
Telephone 212 924 5588
Fax 212 924 5546
Email: info@luprocks.com
http://www.luprocks.com/staging/thanks.html


7. Rogers & Cowan 
Product placement specialists to the entertainment industry.
Contact details:
Rogers & Cowan
1888 Century Park East, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Tel: 310/201-8800
Fax: 310/788-6611
http://www.rogersandcowan.com/rc-1.html

------------------------------------------
Getting into magazines.

1. Hire the services of a public relations company.
Maya Brenner uses a PR company to get into magazines. (Success City
Style. Tammy Powley. About.com)
http://jewelrymaking.about.com/library/weekly/aa101701.htm

2. Launch your own promotion campaign.
Put together a press pack with all the information that a journalist
needs to write about you and your jewelry. The easier you make it for
a journalist, the more likely you are to get a piece published.

Good quality photos (usually transparencies) are an essential
ingredient and will enhance your chances of publication. A photograph
of a celebrity wearing your jewelry gives you an even greater chance
of publication.

If possible hire a professional writer to write articles about your
jewelry and include them in your press pack. Use any excuse to write
to magazines, a new collection, unusual design features, personal
stories?

Send the press pack to as many relevant magazines and newspapers and
journalists as possible.

Magazines are inundated with story ideas, so after a couple of weeks
follow up with a phone call, tell them you sent a press pack and ask
if they?re interested in doing a story on you or your designs. More
often than not you will get a polite no thank you. However that call
may be enough for a writer to drag your press pack out of the pile and
give it serious consideration.

You can find contact details via Willings Press Guide which is
available online. There will usually be a reference copy in your local
library. http://www.willingspress.com/default.asp

The Art of Self Promotion by Suzanne Wade. This article shows the way
that Shahasp Valentine received publicity by writing her own articles.
http://www.pmcguild.com/v72feature1.html

3. Use the services of a freelance writer.
An experienced freelance writer will be able to submit stories about
you to magazines. The writer will be paid by the magazine for any
articles that are accepted.


---------------------------------------------------------
Jewelry designer stories.

Jewelry designer Amy Peters describes how  she approached the company
hired to create the gift bags for the Annual Screen Actors Guild
Awards, Backstage Creations, and submitted her lariat necklace to be
juried.
(Celebrity Adds to Jewelry Designer?s Business. Heather Skelly. Craft Scene.)
http://www.craftsreport.com/december03/cs.html

Boston-based jewelry designer, Jane Ciccone sent a necklace to Robin
Roberts of ABC?s ?Good Morning America? which she wore resulting in
publicity in Vanity Fair,  InStyle, the Style network's "Vogue Trend
Watch" show, and Real Simple. (Vogue Spin on skin may be hard to wear.
Morning Glory. By A. Scott Walton. Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
07/01/2004.)
http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:kZLS5HZj8nwJ:www.ajc.com/living/content/living/fashion/0704/04statements.html+%22jewelry+designer%22+%22a+public+relations%22&hl=en


Tarina Tarantino took her hair jewelry to wardrobe and costume
designers on T.V. (Tarina Tarantino ? Hair Jewelry designer. By Maria.
 Beauty Buzz.)
http://www.beautybuzz.com/hair.asp?page=Tarina


Trace Palmer got her break when Sharon Stone purchased a piece of her
jewelry. (Glass Jewelry Designer Trace Accessorizes the Stars in 2003.
Green Galactic.)
http://www.greengalactic.com/trace.html

Moo Roo handbags have been marketed entirely through celebrity
placement. Moo Roo spends a whole week in Los Angeles preparing for
the Academy Awards, renting a hotel suite and offering refreshments
for stars who want to come and pick out a handbag to wear to the
ceremony. The effort costs about
$25,000,chttp://www.charleston.net/stories/092903/bus_29strictly.shtml>


<Additional links:>
<It?s in the bag. By Catherine Valenti. ABC News. This article
describes the gift bag phenomenon.>
<http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/business/Entertainment/oscars_giftbags_030324.html>

<Instyle>
<http://www.instyle.com/instyle/read/about/index.html>


<Search strategy:>


<"buzz bags" pay >
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22buzz+bags%22+pay>

<"academy awards" "gift baskets">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22academy+awards%22+%22gift+baskets%22>

<"gift bags"  Oscars>
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22gift+bags%22++oscars>

<"jewelry designer" "product placement">
<://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22jewelry+designer%22+%22product+placement%22>


<Hope this helps.>

Excellent, thorough answer. Thanks for the quick turnaround!

These are excellent answers however I feel I should warn you,
celebrity placement can be highly overrated.  Companies pay thousands
of dollars plus the cost of their product just to GIVE them to
(usually) undeserving celebrities.  These celebrities in turn usually
don't acknowledge receipt, don't use the product, don't buy any
additional products and you end up wasting tons of money.  I'd suggest
giving your product to appreciative "regular" people on the basis that
they will tell people about your product and how they can get one. 
The return on investment will be a thousand fold what the celebrity
route will get you (usually).

While the above comment is slightly true, the reality is that one
celebrity who mentions a product can create far more buzz than 100
"regular" people. The strategy of product placement is used to get
press in magazines and to sell products to retail store buyers,
"regular" people do not have that kind of impact.

If you can utilize the strategy of celeb product placement to create
results (instead of just waiting for things to happen), it can be very
rewarding.

I'm in full agreement with the "buzz" that celebrities can create
however, this method has been saturated with the A-list of celebrities
having endorsement deals with major brands to wear their product. 
Also, the celebrity placement companies now have you pay exorbitant
sums of money only to have a picture of your product on a table with
tens of other products...with maybe a celebrity generally hanging
around the table.  To actually have the celebrity hold your product
will cost thousands more.  Plus, hopeful companies fall for this with
each hollywood event and how many products become successful as a
result?  Not many.  Giving to appreciative regular people, a product
marketing plan like some type of gift give-away, or some other
creative method will go a lot further and give far more return on
investment.  Success stories from celebrity placements are extremely
few and far between.