The Art of Corporate Gift Giving

Corporate gift giving can be a very serious affair.

As part of a well-planned campaign, giving gifts can help establish and maintain critical relationships.   If you want the gift giving campaign to succeed there are many issues to consider.   This article describes a few. 

If we look at who would normally be on the receiving end of a corporate gift, it would undoubtedly be your companies big clients, after that would be the employees of the company, and lastly the prospective clients.  The first two recipients send out the same message: affirming relationships and enhancing connections between the gift giver (your company), and the recipient (your customer and staff).  

 Gifts could take the form of food, or useful items in the office or home. The type of gift is dictated by the meaning, and occasion.  

A gift is not an incentive. An incentive has the precondition of performance.
A gift is not an advert. It should not have blatant advertising or promotions all over it. 

Even so, there is still some bottom-line benefit to be derived from giving out corporate gifts.  Giving Corporate gifts should form part of the company's marketing strategy and if done correctly,  it is a very cost effective way of building and maintaining current and future business relationships.

An Interesting Statistic:
The Promotional Products Association International has conducted surveys of corporate gift givers and recipients. The statistics show that vendors who gave gifts were twice as likely to increase their chances of being contacted by customers as those that didn't have a gift campaign. 

Is it ethical?  Always check with the receiving company regarding their gift accepting policy.  
Some medical, insurance and financial service companies have very strict policy regarding the acceptance of gifts.  

Take care not to give gifts in situations like these:

when there is a tender / bidding process going onExpensive and lavish gifts like cruises and cars.  These are always suspect!
Anything that might embarrass your client. 

The best gifts are heart-felt, and they show it.   Special care should be taken in presenting the gift in the most favourable way, present it in nice gift wrapping paper, or give it in a well made gift box.  Add some gifting ribbon and tissue paper, and do take the time to compose a personal, handwritten card.  This can be as important as the gift itself, since your message to the recipient conveys your intentions and sincerity.