The 95th Academy awards will be held tomorrow evening and almost all of India is anxiously waiting to see how SS Rajamouli’s RRR will do at the Oscars. Surely, the film has piqued the interest of not only Telugu people but also Indians at large.
Meanwhile, let’s find out some interesting things about the Oscars, with regards to gift hampers doled out to nominees, what worth of products it contains, how much the Academy makes through ads, and all the other juicy tidbits.
For starters, the nominees will be given ‘Everybody Wins’ nominee gift bags, as even if one does not take home an Oscar, they will be taking home a lot of so-called “swag”. Nominees will be given:
Rejuvenation procedure from New York City-based plastic surgeon Dr. Konstantin Vasykevich and a shaman reading from author Jo Bowlby. They will also get complimentary project management from Maison Construction and a PETA ‘stop monkey imports to Labs’ travel pillow.
The stars will get an Italian getaway on an island and a stay at an estate in Canada.
There is also a lot of food from popcorn to shokunin, a popular Japanese milk bread, and alcohol including wine and tequila.
They will receive fertility supplements, several beauty and wellness products, a bath ritual set to a soft pillowcase to edible oil.
The swag bags are put together by marketing company Distinctive Assets which has been coordinating gifts for award shows like the Grammys and BET awards since 1990.
As per Forbes estimates, the total cost of the gift bag this year is about $126,000. As for nominees, they can help the brands immensely by wearing, using, and talking about them. It is said advertising and marketing should co-exist to help to report bad news and their products.
Well, the list does not stop there. This particular week, the stars were invited to the ‘gifting suite’ at the Luxe Boulevard hotel where brands give out free products. In the Suite, the stars can receive ‘magical’ facial & beauty products, scarves, jewelry, perfume, and sheets. Some stars will be given bone marrow and stem cell injections worth $20,000 and some will go on a trip to French Polynesia, Iceland, or Thailand.
Stars will also get sneakers from a 14-year-old girl from Brooklyn and her design company.
This year, the Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Another important giveaway is that ABC channel makes at least $117 million in ad revenue on Sunday. Disney has announced that 60 to 70 commercials have sold slots in the broadcast of the Oscars on ABC. In 2022, Disney apparently asked for $2.2 million for a 30-second Advertisment.
Leading sponsors this year will be Pfizer, Rolex, and Verizon, though there is a long list of companies vying to do commercials. In 2022, the Oscars raked in $139 million through 70 ads, while the red carpet pre-show raked in $15.8 million across 48 commercials.
ABC’s broadcast drew 16.6 million viewers, though has been a decline in viewership in the past few years.
Millions of dollars have been spent for Oscar night which is approximately $100 million to win a little golden man.
The Academy Awards began in 1929 and by 1934, they were being called Oscars. Academy awards’ ballots will be sorted into piles according to which a film is ranked No 1. The final eight that have received the maximum number of votes will make it to the final list.
Showing the film to audiences, Advertising, direct marketing, PR lobbying, and moving the film’s public release date, influence the voters. Each year, Hollywood production houses spend about $500m on Oscar campaigns (on films like Top Gun, Avatar Oscar campaigns). The Academy Awards ceremony costs a mindblowing $56.8 million.
Let’s hope RRR wins and makes India proud once again!
