Andrew Kay: Goodie goodie

Am I alone in thinking that the day of the goodie bag is over? I remember the first time I was given a goodie bag. A friend was working for The National Magazine Company and needed a date to their Christmas Ball. I was happy to oblige, it was a black tie affair at the Dorchester, very chi-chi, very National Magazine.

And we had a ball, there was good food, plenty to drink, dancing and one of those mad casinos where you play with fake chips to win prizes. Prizes like weekend breaks in Paris and microwave ovens, they were very new back then.

At the end of the evening we returned to our table to find on each chair a goodie bag. I had never seen one before so had no expectations.

How delighted were we when we had staggered into the cold night air on Park Lane, found a cab and started to delve into the contents. It was amazing. We both had large bottles of expensive perfumes and cologne, there were cufflinks, small bottles of booze, champagne and brandy, expensive chocolates and a few magazines. I know, an amazing array of things that could genuinely be called goodies.

These days goodie bags seem to filled with credit card sized packets of mints, promotional biros, a few sweeties, maybe a piece of cake and a mountain of paper promos, some of which might contain vouchers or money off offers.

“What was once a goodie bag is now a package of disappointment”

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but at the end of an evening of fun what was once a goodie bag is now a package of disappointment. Okay, I was spoiled in the past, but really, the goodie bag needs a rethink.
Funnily enough I attended an event recently and was actually impressed. It was the relaunch of Shutterly Fabulous, a make-over for a brand that launched almost when this magazine did and has advertised with us consistently ever since.

The guys behind the brand have always had lots of style and the rebrand is fabulous, witty, vibrant and smart, I didn’t expect anything less. And the relaunch party was equally well put together with delicious cocktails and food at Havanna Spoon in Hove. It was a small affair too, their team and a few associates and media friends. The speeches were well scripted and told the story fully, and at the end they announced that there was a goodie bag for us all. My heart sank. I had gone straight from the office and was already laden with bags and stuff. But it would have been rude to decline the offer. I left with Ms L and we went for a quick drink.

How I wanted to eat my words. Shutterly Fabulous had produced a truly fabulous goodie bag that shuttered me up. Inside there was new marketing material, beautifully designed and conceived and in a paper sleeve a tin box. We slipped off the sleeve and inside found something so clever, so funny and for once something of real value, real worth.

I’m not going to spoil it and say what but this is their new marketing pay off, the kiss that they leave when they have installed their beautiful shutters and driven away. And I cannot imagine that anyone will not have a huge smile on their face when they open it. Okay, it’s not expensive cologne, champagne, brandy or truffles, but it is something that you will use, over and over again. And each time you do you will be reminded of how it put a smile on your face.

I for once have kept the contents of my Shutterly Fabulous goodie bag. It sits on a shelf waiting to be used – unlike the plethora of biros, stress relief balls, silly mints, coasters, badges, memo blocks and printed marketing material – all of which inevitably end up in the bin.

I’m torn now, do I like goodie bags or not? In truth I like good ideas beautifully executed, and like their blinds and shutters, that is exactly what the boys at Shutterly Fabuous have done.