A biz reporter and his swag

Daniel Terdiman, a senior writer at CNET News.com, wonders about the purpose behind all of the gifts that public relations people send to journalists.

Terdiman wrote, “As a technology reporter, I’m no stranger to getting unsolicited packages sent my way. They arrive all the time: A video game here. A box of candy there. And being part of a bigger newsroom, I’m not the only one bombarded by swag.

“Sometimes the sender targets the whole staff. Next thing you know, every reporter is opening, en masse, the same confetti-laden tchotchke. This week, a bunch of us received packages containing 5.25-ounce boxes of Oreos wrapped inside a sheet of bubble wrap. The boxes couldn’t have cost more than $1.99 each, yet the company spent more than $4.50 apiece on postage. OK, the cookies hit the spot, but come on. Did they really need to embalm the boxes so extravagantly?

“Sad to say, but when it comes to ridiculous waste, this turns out to be the rule, not the exception.

“One editor here recalled that for its Windows 95 launch, Microsoft sent out a full-size window–with a window frame, sash and molding–that took two delivery guys to drop off.

“And across from my desk on one of the nearby bookshelves, there are five never-opened copies of Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff‘s book, The Business of Changing the World, each of which was sent to a different uninterested reporter.”

Read more here.Â