Is This The Best PR Goodie Bag in Scotland This Year?

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Pssst. Whatever you do, don’t tell my business partner I said so … but those Italians don’t half have a bit of style about them.

With his Azzuri heritage, Raymond Notarangelo was really looking forward to last week’s launch of the Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh.

We had it all planned out. After finishing making a major business pitch, we intended to relax in style at the Grand Opening of the new venue on Edinburgh’s George IV Bridge.

Sadly, the toll of the business pitch was the final straw for Raymondo – and he succumbed to the effects of probable swine flu which had left him feeling off-colour for most of the preceding week.

While he sweated and hallucinated in his sick bed, I’m glad to say I was on the swally, hobnobbing with TV presenter Stephen Jardine, fashionista Merle Brown and Stripe high-heid-yin Juliet Simpson, among others.

What can I say about the Missoni launch?

  • Visually, the hotel is everything you’d expect from an Italian design house.
  • Generously the hosts laid on a free bar (including endless Prosecco) and beautiful canapés which lasted through until the wee small hours.
  • Charmingly, the Missoni family themselves – including the septuagenarian matriarch – gave speeches which were warm, short and well-received (as well as in excellent English).

All in all it was as good an event of its type that I’ve been to. But they saved the best to last.

Departing guests were handed a sleek Missoni shopping bag, which later inspection revealed to be veritable treasure trove.

Now, my experience of PR goodie bags is pretty limited – but this one impressed me (and the missus and the shopaholic office manager – so it must be good).

Understandably,  I didn’t want Raymond to miss out because of illness.  Since I forgot to get him a goodie bag of his own, I decided to make this short video instead. I’m sure he’ll thank me.

And you’ve got to hand it to the Missoni  – the condiment set is chic and desirable; the quality pen and notebook would look good in any handbag or jacket pocket; the soap and skin cream set is stylish in the extreme. And if you need Coke, fresh pasta or olive oil, then you might as well have the Missoni variety. Oh aye – and not just one coffee table book, they provided TWO.

So, thanks from me Missoni. That’s most of my Christmas shopping sorted already! I could really get into this ligging thing.

I dunno if I’m just easily pleased.  But since I may be required to help pull together a goodie bag in the not too distant future, I’d appreciate thoughts from hacks and flack alike on their own experienced of top freebies in PR goodie bags.