Celebrity Endorsement Gone Wrong

Some time ago JOLI approached Sarah Wilson (of I Quit Sugar fame) because she seemed like a like-minded individual with the same interests in ethics and chemical free skin care and so forth.

Upon speaking with her PA to enquire about whether Sarah would be interested in trying some JOLI products, emailing back and forth to determine if JOLI were inline with Sarah's ethics, then determining which products Sarah would like to try etc.  JOLI sent Sarah 100ml Light Moisturiser, 100ml Enliven Facial & Body Scrub, Moisturising Lip Balm and sample pots of Soothing Salve and Rich Cream Moisturiser (a value of around $80 plus postage and packaging).

As you can imagine JOLI were quit excited to be having a celebrity (of sorts) try our products and were, of course, hoping she would LOVE them so much she would write a wonderful review about our ethical and environmentally friendly chemical free natural skin care.  One of the most natural brands on the market.

Imagine our surprise and horror when not only does Sarah not thank us for the products and doesn't even have the courtesy to let us know the products are received, let alone let us know that's she's using or enjoying them... but instead writes an awful article [titled: this makes me angry] making it sound as though our sending her products was unsolicited and wasteful, and that we're an unethical company wasting the earths and Sarah's resources.

It was slightly shattering and... well... just a little bit rude.  

Sarah states that every item received either requires a polite thank you note or detailed email saying it doesn't sit well with her ethics.  Sarah didn't send a polite thank you note or detailed email nor did her PA.  JOLI heard nothing until we read her article and saw the products we'd sent featured in a picture.  The only real waste of resources in sending these products to Sarah was the time and effort I personally put in to gifting this to her (put together by hand by me - no junior PR staffer here).  In hind site I wish I hadn't put the products in a reusable box with a reusable pretty ribbon although it might have made no difference to Sarah, if the products were packaged our usual way with recycled bubble wrap and recyclable packaging.

After the article aired I contact her PA to ask if Sarah had been expecting the JOLI Natural Skin Care because she'd included them in her 'guff' and was told yes Sarah has said yes to receiving them... yet still no thank you for taking the time to send them or whether they're being used/enjoyed.

Image from Sarah Wilson .com

 
JOLI's Response [which was deleted from Sarah's blog]:

I have to say I find this rant a touch on the humorous side.  Not all is as it appears with the guff you were sent.  As one of the senders of guff featured in your picture above I would like to say that I did contact you to ask if you wanted to receive my guff.  After some understandable scrutiny on your part I was kindly given permission to send guff to you.
I take great care in my packaging choices and am an avid believer in reusing and recycling. A lot of my packing is reused and recycled packing, i.e. been sent to me which I then reuse such as bubble wrap.  Or recyclable.  Nothing is wasted.  What isn’t recycled is Australian made, which supports small local businesses, our economy and cuts down on overseas shipping and extended carbon emissions related to that.
Any paper work scent with the items is important information about the contents, otherwise you’re running blind.  There are no toxic chemicals in said items, and no sugary snacks.
Postage may be a vast drain on the countries resources (employed postmen might disagree), all that sorting and traveling and carbon emissions, yet, as one good person pointed out to me – the postmen are going that way already.  Giving them extra mail doesn’t negate that fact.
Airplanes (on which you fly) are the biggest environmental polluters there are.  Of course your carbon footprint is offset by your commendable bike riding and healthy lifestyle.  The point being, many of us have our own carbon offset.
Regardless of all that, I truly hope you are thoroughly enjoying the guff I sent you, which is perfectly inline with what you stand for.  Natural and good for the environment.

To this day Sarah never sent a reply, feedback or thank you note regrading the products she was gifted.