What are Christmas Corporate Gifts?
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Christmas Corporate Gifts have been used by companies and organisations for many hundreds of years. In fact, it is a tradition that doesn't just apply to gifting at Christmas but applies worldwide to countries, cultures and religions that see gifting as an integral part of an annual festival. As commerce became more formalised, the tradition of a business gift at Christmas became the done-thing, especially in the U.K. Often this was simply a bottle of whisky or a hamper, maybe a calendar or diary for best customers, and perhaps a voucher for the local butcher for staff. As marketing became more sophisticated, more thought was given to what gift could and should be used, how appropriate it would be to the recipients, whether they would value it, and whether it would convey the company’s brand values. Until recently, promotional items for companies were largely seasonal so that business gifts were skewed to the Xmas period. Today, corporate gifts at Christmas are not just seen as a one off, but as an integral part of the marketing mix, with advertising gifts actively used throughout the calendar year; for customers, product launches, conferences, exhibitions and staff.
Why Give Christmas Corporate Gifts?
Are company gifts for customers or staff still relevant in the 21st Century? If we're talking about swathes of sales execs touring the countryside in Vauxhall Insignias dropping off calendars and diaries to their less-than-interested customers then the answer is emphatically no. Like social media, the only real objective for any promotional item (or indeed any promotional activity) is “engagement”. Something that sadly is very often the last thing that people consider when buying any promotional media; it beggars belief that in this day-and-age we still get enquiries that have more than a whiff of, “I need to get this off my desk” and are concerned merely with, “Can we stick our logo on it?” and “How cheap can we get it for?” Quite honestly you may as well throw your money in the bin. Thankfully this approach is now going the way of the dodo, and marketers are much more savvy when choosing a corporate gift. Of course, budget is important (and always will be) but consideration for the recipient and empathy for the company's brand values are essential to make any promotional activity a success.
So why Christmas corporate gifts rather than vouchers or experiences or any of the other myriad options marketing departments have at their disposal these days? Many studies have demonstrated that advertising gifts have more staying power than any other form of promotion or advertising, and this is leveraged when care is taken when choosing the business gift. A logo printed or engraved on a well-considered corporate gift will have more of an initial impact on its target audience than an advert or emailer etc, but, more importantly; it will stay in the customer’s mind for as long as it is used. And that may be days, weeks, months or even years!
What makes a good Christmas Corporate Gift?
The operative word here is gift – it is Christmas after all. The purpose of any gift is to provide pleasure to the recipient or show gratitude. If you can combine these two things, you’re at least half way there to choosing a great Christmas Business Gift, not to mention sorting out your personal Xmas pressies too!
Let’s get back to our crusty old sales rep handing out a decent bottle of whisky to one of his best customers (yes, a couple of short decades ago it was all crusty old blokes). Times have moved on, yes, but the whisky at least ticked the boxes at the time – it undoubtedly brought pleasure to the recipient, and if it was a decent scotch then it demonstrated that the sales rep (and therefore the company that employed him) really valued his business. So, as I said, times have moved on and we now like to be a little more subtle and sophisticated with our marketing collateral, but when choosing the Christmas Corporate Gift ask yourself if it hits the sweet spot like the bottle of whisky did in 1975?
Choosing the right Christmas Corporate Gift for your Organisation
What does the present say about your organisation? And what message does it convey to the target audience?
So, for example, an engineering company chooses a printed T-shirt for their yuletide corporate gift. Good choice as everyone wears t-shirts and will value that, right? Wrong! It may seem obvious but we’ve had this scenario. It doesn’t say anything about the brand values or core competencies of the engineering company – maybe something with precision and quality would be better?
Also, what about the target audience? Whether staff or customers, chances are they will be engineers too, or work closely with that industry, so what’s the best bet for something that they’ll appreciate? So in this instance we would recommend perhaps a Maglite Torch or Victorinox tool; both can be personalised with your logo and are definitely something that would be appreciated and valued. These also reflects well on the company you’re giving them to; reinforcing what they do and what they stand for.
Once you understand the principle, there is a solution for every company or organisation.
Why choose Solo and Corporate-Gifts-Co
With over 25 years’ experience, Solo can help with choosing the best Christmas Corporate Gift that will not only delight your target audience but also convey what your company is all about and what you stand for.
- Fast turnaround
- Quick dispatch times (within 7 days if in stock)
- In-house branding & engraving service
- Huge range available
- Bespoke packaging options
- Promotional samples available
We can, of course, also advise on budget, logo reproduction and timing so that you come in on-budget and on-time.