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PRs have been bombarding journalists with freebies since the dawn of time. But sometimes the attempts to win favour get nothing but confused looks. With hacks being handed everything from giant blocks of ice to life-sized cut-outs of rugby players, we’ve listed the strangest freebies given to journos:
1. An angry, unsanitary letter
Adam Rees, Immediate Media
A letter from an angry reader to complain they hadn’t got their cover mount. The letter was written on the packet of Morrison’s raw chicken. Let’s hope the reader got their cover mount for all our sakes.
2. Blood-stained press release
Sarah Shearman, freelance digital and tech journalist
A blood-stained letter, with a lock of hair and a bullet. Next time, an emailed press release will do juuust fine.
3. Sex porridge
Sarah Orme, Papercraft Inspirations
Aphrodisiac porridge for Valentine’s Day, accompanied by a press release full of innuendoes about “getting up in the morning”. It contained vitamins to “boost your virility” with carbohydrates for lots of energy. Lucky Sarah.
4. A llama
Joshua Fox, senior news and showbiz writer, Now
A real life llama. Yes, you read that correctly. No news of what it was promoting or why it was sent, and the PR didn’t answer the phone. So essentially there was a random animal hanging around for no reason whatsoever.
5. A cardboard cut-out of Lawrence Dallaglio
Neil Gerrard, The Caterer
A life-size cardboard cut-out of Lawrence Dallaglio, sent from a brewery. Dallaglio lived in the office for a while until someone (presumably not a Wasps fan) asked him to move. They’re still waiting on that Dylan Hartley cut-out.
6. Hot pink boxers
Charlie Taylor, BBC Somerset
Bright pink boxers with black trim from a cancer charity. They were too small for Charlie but he wore them anyway.
7. A bacon candle
Online team, Women’s Health
A bacon candle for the launch of Greggs’ new bacon sandwich breakfast offer. It smelled exactly like bacon. Surprisingly, no one took the candle home.
8. A huge ice block
Features desk, ELLE
A giant block of ice from VK. It sat forlornly in the office for a whole day, melting into the plastic tray it arrived in. It then took four people to carry it to the kitchen sink. Hey VK, next time just send some drinks.
9. A scary message on a giant blackboard
Julian Linley, editor-in-chief, Digital Spy
A giant blackboard with “Hello Julian. We are watching you” written on it in massive serial-killer handwriting. Julian was convinced of impending doom; he nearly reported it to the police. It turned out to be a PR stunt for a new TV show. Great.
10. An anonymous stalker mug
Sally Newall, editor, IndyBest
A personalised mug with Sally’s face on it. She uses it around the office and forgets what’s on it so people must think she’s a complete narcissist. There was no clue of who sent it, which is pretty creepy. Still, no one sends us vanity mugs through the mail.
11. A lonely cucumber
Lucy Gornall, showbiz content writer, Now
Nothing promotes a show better than a lone cucumber in a box. Of course that only applies when the show is called Cucumber. Can someone pass the humous?
12. Sex toys
Features desk, Wallpaper
Things got a bit heated when a fully loaded tray of sex toys including a pebble, some couple motors (we’ve never heard of them either) and a butt plug arrived in the office courtesy of Ooh by Je Joue. We’re guessing these products didn’t sit around the office for long.
-By Emily Clark and Sophia Pathak
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