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For best impact: What to give and who to?

The Christmas gift story begins with the desire to give to people who’ve helped you along the way this year.  For smaller businesses this can be quickly seen to with a few crates of beer or chocolates off the supermarket shelf, but for businesses growing a brand, it’s time to sit down and think about your clients and how they will feel receiving a gift from you.  The warm fuzzy feeling going on around giving has got to fit with your brand.

To make it simple, you shouldn’t pick gifts that conflict with your brand and what it stands for.

To make it simple, you shouldn’t pick gifts that conflict with your brand.  If your brand is all about Health and Well-being, you probably wouldn’t select Chocolates and Wine.  Why ever not?  Because these foods are, sadly, associated with indulgence and excessive eating.

Selecting who to give to… We always recommend including your team members (whether they know about the Christmas gift idea or not, it will still be a surprise that they’re included in receiving it) along with your Top Customers and Top Suppliers.  These 3 stakeholders, or whatever you like to call them, are supremely responsible for keeping your business up & running.  Remember them, at least once a year.

And on this point, it doesn’t have to be at Christmas, some companies are now jogging the gift into January, to keep it separate from the overdose of gifting that comes at Christmas.  That said you don’t want the gift to look as though it’s a last minute idea, or purchased only in the sale, and potentially lose impact.

Really your gift should epitomise your brand.

Are you known to be generous, crazy, funny, fast, innovative? Is your brand smart/sleek/chic and brilliantly mod or a steady/seclusive/mature/luxurious commodity?

Really your gift should epitomise your brand.  For this you need to think about how others see your brand.  Are you known to be generous, crazy, funny, fast, innovative?  Is your brand smart/sleek/chic and brilliantly mod or a steady/seclusive/mature/luxurious commodity?

Then think about your customers, what gift is fitting for them personally (consider – would they actually use this?) and are there any gifts that would get turned away.  Some companies do have strong gifting policies in place, preventing potential bribery in the form of “gifts” in exchange for contracts, even enforcing staff to return gifts or request that they are collected (making for an embarrassing phone call, instead of a pleasant thanks).

This is where the Mince pie pack has proved popular because it’s a fun and non-offensive office sharer, sits by the coffee machine and everyone gets one.  (We firmly believe it beats most of the list below for originality and share-ability!)

Another thing, where we use the term “Top” Customer – this refers to people who have placed bigger orders with you.  The gift should really be proportionate to orders placed.  In the case of Customers or Suppliers, you need to be thinking about the contacts and companies where you want to strengthen the relationship for longevity.  Which companies are core to your business, and which companies do you want to keep your brand front of mind into the future.

Back to the topic of “What to give”…  Anyone can use Google, but we believe the Top favourites list is covered off well with the list below.

Top Christmas Giveaways for Corporate companies

1. Chocolates
2. Wine
3. Hampers
4. Plants
5. Notebooks
6. Calendars
7. Phone charger
8. Pens
9. Mugs
10. Bobble hats

For more advice on promoting your brand through on-brand gifting (What to gift and What not to gift!), reach out to our team of expert advisers on 020 3011 0211, or via our Contact us page.

Merry Xmassive!