Sure, they sound like gimmicks. They are gimmicks. But they brand the people who get them as part of the team - a new group that's neither us nor them. Besides, they're the cheapest part of building a team. Not for easy projects.
Easy projects are, well, easy.
But face it, we don't get many easy projects these days. Everything seems to happen on shifting ground. The requirements change from week to week. The technology is perpetually in beta. The schedule's never long enough.