{Spoiler alert! Read on – you could be gifted just like a celebrity mom!}

You may think that new moms in Hollywood already have it easier than we do. Nannies, chefs, personal trainers, makeup and hair professionals…no wonder they make it look so easy! (“Look” being the key word – I’m pretty sure all moms share some of the same pressures, stresses and worries.)

As an extra perk, stars often have products bestowed upon them (more details on that later), and what better occasion than Mother’s Day to share the wealth love?

This year, an unbelievable gift basket is being given to 25 new Hollywood moms: Jennifer Love   Hewitt, Hayden Panettiere, Rachel Bilson, Christina Ricci, Gaby Hoffman, Kelly Rowland, Stacy Kiebler, Lake Bell, Eva Mendes, Kate Hudson, Zoe Saldana, Molly Sims, Milla Jovovich, Amanda Peet, Shakira, Carrie Underwood, Sara Gilbert, LivTyler, Alicia Keys,Vanessa Lachey, Blake Lively, Ali Larter, Jessica Biel, Zoey Deschanel and Mila Kunis.

The basket, worth more than eight grand (!) includes products shown below:

I was very curious about how the whole gifting thing works, so I jumped at the chance to fire a few questions at Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets (they’ve orchestrated  coveted Gift Baskets and Gift Lounges for events such as the GRAMMYs, the Latin GRAMMYs, the Tony Awards, the Kids’ Choice Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the MTV Movie Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards). Here are the questions, with Lash’s responses.

What is the process for businesses who want to get their products into your swag baskets?

It is a simple and streamlined process. They either contact us or one of our sales associates reaches out to them.  The logistics of participation are fairly straight forward so if they have the budget to participate (it is only $900 so it is incredibly affordable for any size brand) there is truly no down side for them.  We handle all of the organization, assembly and delivery (in most cases directly to talent).  

How did you decide on the celebrity moms to receive this Mother’s Day basket? 

Each year, we try to find new-ish or soon-to-be moms . . . mainly because so many of the items we gift are geared towards infants.  There actually aren’t dozens and dozens of new or expecting moms so the selection is pretty straight forward.  We keep tabs on pregnancy and delivery announcements throughout the year and announce our final recipient list in early March (or April at the latest).

Can you share any success stories in terms of stars who have been seen with/talked about products from your swag baskets? Do you usually receive thanks/feedback yourself?

So many of the recipients in the past (Leah Remini, Jenna Elfman, Kourtney Kardashian, Nancy O’Dell, Elisabeth Rohm, Samantha Harris, Fergie)  have sent thank you notes directly to clients … which obviously makes the clients very happy.  The thank you note of 2015 is of course the tweet, and our clients have been the lucky beneficiaries of a bunch of those as well.  For example, last year Jennifer Love Hewitt particularly loved the Bert and Bratt portable sterilizer and tweeted about it the day after our delivery to her.  She gave Twitter love to several other faves as well. Tammin Sursok gave a Twitter shout out to the Artisan Group.  And then there is the homerun when a celeb recipient is later photographed using one of the items they were gifted . . . as was the case with Kourtney Kardashian and a photo that appeared in Star magazine.

What would you say to those who argue that celebs have so much money and aren’t in need of these freebies?

My biggest frustration with this argument is that folks confuse need with basic marketing. This is a publicity and celebrity seeding promotion NOT a charitable initiative. Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t “need” $20 million per film … nor did Robert Downey Jr. “need” a billion dollars for the last Avengers movie.  But that’s what celebs receive because their brands warrant it.    

Brands are leveraging the fame of the recipients to publicize their products.  So the trade off is more than fair.  The celebs are, in fact, not receiving the products for free . . . they are purchasing them with the power and cachet their names represent.  And brands take full advantage of that fact.

Ultimately, the root of this question is (1) not understanding basic PR and Marketing and (2) basic jealousy . . . because 9 out of 10 of these types of complaints I receive are accompanied by a request to have the product sent to them instead!  Not even to a women’s shelter or orphanage . . . to THEM!

The power of celebrity is real.  They sell movie tickets . . . they sell magazines . . . they sell products.

Thanks for all of that insight, Lash!

Now guess what? Distinctive Assets is going to provide one lucky This Mom Loves reader with a selection of these amazing gift bag items! (Not all $8000 worth – but it’s still a pretty fantastic prize!)

Here’s what one lucky winner will receive (a great mixture of fashion, beauty and treats – with some books thrown in because hey, I am a teacher!):

The total value of this prize is $1243.89 USD – my biggest giveaway yet!

To enter, simply leave a comment below letting me know which item you’re most excited about, and make sure there’s a way for me to contact you. (Contest is open to Canada and US.)

For extra entries, please leave additional, separate comments letting me know that:

Giveaway ends Saturday, May 16th at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Now, if any swag gifters ever decide that I make the “celebrity mom” cut (I mean, I appear biweekly on CHEX Daily and I did make my debut appearance on Canada AM) I would adore any of the items above…and please note that my feet are a delicate size 10.

290 comments on “The Celebrity Moms’ Swag Bag: Incredible Giveaway Worth $1000+”

  1. I'd most like the Penguin Young Reader's pack; my husband and I love reading and it's something we'd like to pass on to our kids. My email is eleryth AT yahoo.com

  2. Entrytweets is me (eleryth). I also receive your emails at the same addres eleryth AT yahoo.com (that's how I found out about this awesome contest!).

  3. The derma wand<3!!!!! laluver101 at gmail dot com 🙂 OMG I cannot tell you how hard of a year it has been. My dearly beloved grandmother who my mother and I have always been super close passed recently. My grandmother may not have been my mother; however, she was like a second mother to me. I love her so much and she loved me so much and I grew up with her and saw her like every day. She was my best friend, someone so near and dear to my heart, and I cannot believe she is gone and I will never see her again. Her death did bring me and my mom who has always been and always will be my bestest friend (the word we use) even closer together. I love them both so much. My mom is such an amazing person with the very best heart and my grandmother's death left us both shocked and devastated and it has been such a rough year and we could both use some cheering up, especially my amazing mother who has been so strong and sacrificed so much. She is my greatest supporter and the hardest worker I know. She never gets a thank you and continues to make sacrifices for me every single day. She cooks for me even when she is sick and quit her job that she worked so hard to get so she could raise me on her own. She was so strong when she was pregnant with me even though her dad died at the beginning of her pregnancy and she loved that man more than anyone, I can tell by the way she tears up whenever his name is brought up. My mom is super fashionable and stylish and where I get my love of fashion from ❤️ All of my friends think my mom is the best and want her to be their mom too. My mom deserves every gift in the world and I know that she says my love is the greatest gift for her, but a little materialistic luxury to bring a smile to her beautiful face would be so nice! Especially this Mothers Day. My grandmother's death left her both very shocked and devastated and it has been such a rough year and she could really use some cheering up. Thank you so much!!! Thank you so much!!! Thank you so much again this is so kind and incredible and amazing and generous of you!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

  4. I'm very interested in the Dermawand / Dermabrilliance. Thanks for the giveaway! mybabyappleseed(at)yahoo(dot)ca

  5. I am an e-mail subscriber. I can verify this information via mybabyappleseed(at)yahoo(dot)ca though I've subscribed under a different e-mail address..

  6. Bailey Dexter I would love the Penguin Young Readers bundle to read with the grandkids on the weekends when they stay here! I really like the Adult Solstice Sandal at Soft Star shoes!

  7. Everything looks amazing, but I'd have to say the Golden Door Ginger Cookies – I think it's wonderful that 100% of their profits go to children's charities! 😉

  8. Penguin Young Readers bundle so I have a selection of books to read to my nephew and niece when they visit.

    lillea at startmail dot com

  9. I am most excited about the Penguin Young Readers bundle. Reading is important for all ages.

    I follow on twitter, and my twitter name is @BoSimmsMtl

  10. I subscribe via email with birdiebee2015 (at) gmail (dot) com

    FYI – I hope this is not a duplicate. I entered a few days ago and could not find all of my entries.

  11. I am most excited about the Soft Star shoes prize! But this is a fantastic prize and has many nice things!

    Michele P micaela6955 at msn dot com

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