Do We Need Another Gift?

Everyone loves a gift, don’t they? I remember back in the day when I worked as an in-house journalist and we’d be sent piles of products to the office to try, to keep, but in reality for many, journalists, to pass on as presents or sell on EBay. It was the height of consumerism. More, more, more, please. 

Now things look a little different. We are more thoughtful about what we purchase, we look for brands that are more eco or are plastic-free. We remind ourselves not to be wasteful.   

Recently a PR dropped me a line as she wanted to send me something to celebrate a client’s birthday. It was a transport company and I wondered what they would send me, if I would use it, or would it be a waste of packaging and product. I politely said that I was cutting back on things I didn’t need/wouldn’t use so if they felt it might sit in that category, I’d decline it.   

Now I’m not saying I don’t like the odd gift – in fact here’s some dairy-free yoghurt coming to me this week – but living in the world where we have too much stuff, we might need to consider how we approach sending products to journalists (I’m not talking about samples, reviews, etc).

One route around this might be to ask they journalist if they are accepting gifts and perhaps be clear on what you plan to send – for instance, I’ve had people send me (non-vegan) chocolate before when I’m 98% plant-based now (allowing for the odd slip up when I’m travelling although this rarely happens now). People are also cutting back on booze so sending over alcohol can often be a no no.

Also, be wary of the type of - and how much - packaging you use. I always prefer reused packaging but this might not go down well with your editor at Vogue but perhaps your sustainable approach it can be explained. Too much wasteful packaging and the attention for the product you sent to said journalist at a national might be overshadowed by them flagging up the excess packaging on social media. I see this happen quite often so be wary of that too.

Thanks for reading,

Susie