Bagging the freebies
IRS scrutiny may curtail Sundance's swag jag
With the IRS vowing on Aug. 17 to get tough on celeb freebies at kudofests like the Oscars and Emmys, the fest circuit is already bracing for a shakeup in swag protocol.
Among film festivals, none has come to embody the swag jag quite like Sundance, where companies inundate celebs with goodies in hopes of generating free advertising. The gravy train could lose some steam if celebs have to pay taxes on every free bauble, bit of designer clothing or luxury hand lotion.
Sundance officials say they welcome Uncle Sam's scrutiny on the unsanctioned swag shacks that dot Park City's Main Street and luxurious guest houses nearby. Fest organizers say the invaders are hijackers detracting from the fest's purpose.
"We feel like we've been fighting this fight alone for years," says Sundance Institute director of strategic development Elizabeth Daly of the IRS clampdown. (She points out that there are no official gift bags given out to Sundance attendees.)
"We welcome anything that is going to discourage what we have deemed to be parasitic marketers from coming to town."
Such interlopers, of course, take attention away from Sundance's official sponsors, like Volkswagen, which pay a pretty penny to be associated with the event.
No other major world fest has seen the proliferation of gifting that Sundance has. Sure, brands such as Target, Chopard and Ray-Ban have been known to roll out the red carpet in Cannes. But besides sponsoring lavish shindigs or offering a pair of designer shades to partiers, the phenomenon doesn't exist to the extent it does in Sundance.
By hosting so-called called "gifting" areas -- guerrilla marketers are able to present themselves as if they're officially involved with the fest.
It's common to see scads of stars -- even minor celebs -- trolling Main Street for goodies and photo ops along the way, even if their ties to Sundance are tenuous at best. In tracking down celebs at Sundance for an interview, it can be quite customary for their reps to set up the meeting at one of the many gift chalets.
"This isn't what the business is supposed to be about," says one celeb rep of the freebie freeloading. He suggests stars should actually be paid straight up for promoting a product.
But for celebs used to gauging appreciation by how much attention they're paid, how can you put a price on love?
