Star Power

Getting your product into the hands of a trend-setting celebrity can be marketing gold. But unless you know the ins and outs of the process, it can be a battle just getting past the gatekeepers. Luckily, there's an easy way to get your product into an A-lister's hands — all it takes is a little know-how, a couple of good connections and a bit of budget behind you.

Celebrity gifting suites, or gift lounges, occur at every large industry event, including the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, the Academy Awards, MTV Music Awards, the Emmys and more. Anywhere there's a gathering of celebrities, there's a gifting suite.

Getting into the suites is easy to do, though it requires a bit of legwork. The first thing you have to do is make contacts. Find out who arranges the suites. Several public relations, marketing or communications firms specialize in or include these events in their roster of services. It's much easier to go through a firm than going directly to the organizers. In addition, firms often have more than one client in the suite at a time — that can mean price breaks for you.

Once you've made contact, it's time to pitch your product. Make sure that what you're taking to the suites is a new item or one that's considered luxurious. My firm recently went to the Sundance Film Festival and the Oscars with La Tee Da's new Effusion Crown Candles. At the time, they weren't even on the market, so celebrities were getting their hands on the product two months before the public. At Sundance, that was a huge selling point for Heather Graham, Yul Kwan from Survivor and Ian Ziering (of Beverly Hills 90210 and Dancing with the Stars).

Also make sure that you bring plenty of product to the event. If you've got a couple of different product options, decide ahead of time what you're going to give to whom. Only A-list celebrities (the ones you recognize) get big packages; the rest either get a single piece or get their name on a list for product to be shipped. This strategy accomplishes three things: it saves your product for A-listers, it builds your database and it allows you to control how much product goes out.

Once you're at the suite, there are certain “rules” to keep in mind. First of all, when celebrities come by, keep your pitch short and sweet. They don't care how long your company has been in business; they don't care that your entire family is involved in the manufacturing process. They want to know what's new or different about what you've got.

Celebrities at the gifting suites have schedules to keep, and organizers need to keep people moving. Celebrities are going to be polite, because they can't afford not to be. It's your job to be polite back (not overwhelmed or starstruck), and not keep them in one place for too long.

Remember to write down anything complimentary they say about your product! When Heather Graham smelled the Bellini Effusion Crown Candle, she said, “Ooooh.” When she smelled Have It All, a warm vanilla scent, she handed it to her manager and said, “They smell so yummy.” All of it was captured and recorded for use in upcoming press releases and promotions. (“Heather Graham says...”)

If you're working with a public relations firm, bring your rep with you — especially if they negotiated with the organizers on your behalf. That will allow the rep to continue building that relationship, which, in turn, will get you more opportunities in the future. In addition, having two people at your table will make things much easier.

The other advantage to having your PR rep with you is the connections they'll find. For example, when I was at Sundance, both Tracie (of La Tee Da) and I met people at the suite who can help us down the road. I met a woman who works in marketing and product placement at Focus Films; now we're looking to get product into movies.

Finally, your PR rep can make sure that you get images of celebrities with your products either by taking pictures themselves or working with an on-site photographer.

There are, of course, a few caveats to attending gifting suites. For one, you need to put some budget behind it. Fees can run from $5,000 to more than $12,000. Once you find a company you want to work with, sticking with them is usually beneficial, provided you're happy with the results and the celebrities you get access to.

Make sure that you get access to the images from the suite, and see if you can take your own pictures. Always make sure you have at least two people at the table so that you're not run off your feet.

If you're a retailer that carries several products and aren't sure which to take to a gifting suite, or you don't have the budget to regularly spend on these events, pay attention to which of your manufacturers are going to the suites. They should be keeping your reps up-to-date and making sure that you know what's going on as well. In general, gifting suites work well for high end retailers or manufacturers.

Finally, gifting suites aren't a magic bullet. Simply going to an event isn't enough to get the attention you're looking for. The most important part of the process comes after the suite is over, the awards have been handed out, the parties are over and everyone has gone home for the night.

Be sure that you or your PR reps have to send out press releases on where you've been, which celebrities got your product and what they said. (Take a look in any In Touch Weekly or Star magazine, and you'll find a page full of “Hottest products at the Oscars,” or any other suite.)

There's a wealth of media opportunities available for celebrity coverage — provided you've got the right images!