WIN Awards: looking a gift bag in the mouth

Gift bags have become such a big deal in Hollywood that one cosmetics advertiser brags in radio spots that it is “selected” for Tinseltown’s most glamorous giveaways. So it was amusing to see the Women’s Image Network Awards’ sad-by-any-standard offering. Here’s the inventory: bag from The Hollywood Reporter, but no current issue inside (THR, like AdFreak, is part of VNU); bottle of Celsius sugar-free energy drink; bag of “Everybody’s Nuts!” pistachios; 1.75-ounce sampler of Don Francisco coffee (and a 50-cents-off coupon, too, good “for any can”—ground or whole bean!); and a Beautyhabit catalog with a 10-percent-off coupon! Let the querulous wrinkles on the brow begin! Nike was honored as advertiser of the year, but no coupon for a free pair of Shox.