In addition to our work designing gorgeous branding and logos for businesses all over the world, our team here at Creative ID also adores getting creative with corporate gifts. Bespoke, branded gifts can be sent to important clients, trusted employees, or prospective business relationships – and are a fabulous way of strengthening your brand identity and recognition both internally and externally, while bringing joy to others.
Here is our ultimate guide to corporate gifting.
In this article (clickable links below):
What are corporate gifts, and why are they important?
One of the types of projects we’ve had the pleasure of working on is partnering with brands, large and small, to bring to life a suite of bespoke corporate gifts, which can then be shared with important clients, trusted employees, or prospective business relationships. Corporate gifts are a wonderful way of strengthening your brand identity and recognition both internally and externally, while bringing joy to others. The occasion for corporate gifting will depend on your business model, as well as on the time of year: it might be a way to express gratitude to an employee or business partner, to congratulate a new client on joining (or perhaps an existing client on their success!), or to connect with someone who you feel would be a fantastic fit for your business in some way. Once you have a corporate gifting strategy or inventory, it’s also easy to use these to commemorate birthdays, holidays, family milestones, or personal and professional anniversaries.
How does corporate gifting work?
The idea is to create a set of items that are well-made, clearly branded, and that represent both your unique USP as well as that of the audience you are gifting to. Usually, the recipients are people that are involved in your business thriving, and with whom you value having long, lasting business relationships. Once you’ve impressed them with your work ethic and fabulous goods and services – a gift can be that cherry on top that makes your audience feel truly special, valued, and appreciated. Those are the kinds of feelings that will make sure your brand stays top of mind, and that create an authentic business experience that stands the test of time. When it comes to presents for employees, this can be even more powerful: looking after them and motivating them with generous and heartfelt gifts is a way to retain and inspire the staff you love working with, and whom is truly dedicated to the welfare, growth, and success of the business.
As wonderful as this all sounds – it’s also important to have a strategy about WHO you would like to send gifts to, as it can be financially prohibitive to have too wide a recipient list for these presents. It’s also key to have a standardised policy for your gifting, so you can have a simple, streamlined process that is sustainable as the company grows – and that won’t feel like favouritism in any direction. My advice is to be clear from the outset about your budget per gift, what types of gifts you wish to send, the occasion on which you’ll send them, and – most importantly – how you can align your values with the your gifting strategy. Depending on where your business operates from, it’s also important to understand how gifts work differently for tax purposes, so do make sure you discuss this with your accountant or tax consultant. Either way, you should keep organised records of any corporate gifts you send, as well as noted on the reason for sending the present.
Ideas for corporate gifts
The most important advice is not to feel like a corporate gift has to be expensive, showy, or grand. A small, thoughtful, and high quality present will be much more impactful that something unnecessarily costly and impersonal. The gifts you choose should align with your values: so, for example, if sustainability is important to you and your business, then definitely consider how you can reduce the carbon footprint, disposable packaging, and ecological impact of the gifts you choose. If your brand is all about meaningful luxury, then consider which items in a person’s home truly represent a luxury to them. If your brand is less about material objects, then brainstorm ways that your gifts could present the recipient with a new experience or opportunity. If it is an item that the recipient will keep in their office or home, consider how looking at that object will make them feel as they look on it or use it day after day.
Some popular choices for corporate gifting include:
- Gift baskets, curated to contain favourite items, gift vouchers to your favourite stores, or artisanal products from your local area, can be a wonderful gift – and a great way to share your own personal tastes and aesthetic with the recipient.
- Baked goods are always popular too – such as brownies or cookies – as they can be personalised with a company logo or colour palette, and can be easily ordered and sent by post.
- Professional wellness is a great subject for your gifting, especially for employees: for example, items that help make a space feel productive, balanced, and positive. Examples could be a nice candle, or motivational office items.
- Personalised stationery is another fun, unique gift that is always well-received, because most people don’t have many opportunities to own personalised items. For examples, you could order a set of bespoke notebooks, coasters, or diaries that are personalised with the recipient’s personal or business name. You could have that name printed, in calligraphy, or even embroidered or engraved!
Case Study: Marriott Hotel
One of the clients we’ve had the joy of working with for their corporate gifting is Marriott International. We came up with an innovative branded gifting concept revolving around the company’s brief, design direction, and values, so that these gifts could be part of their brand strategy for a very special press event in Dubai. The idea was to market five prestigious restaurants that are part of the Marriott family, and we did so by playing on the idea of the five senses: each gift would embody one of the senses, and one of the restaurants, thus giving the attendees a unique way to experience the brands. We chose luxury gifts, wrote and printed the stationery, and also designed the outer packaging in the shape of a suitcase to reinforce the international theme for the event.
I hope this has give you some exciting and productive food for thought on how corporate gifting can be a part of your business strategy, and also help you create authentic, lasting, and positive relationships within and around your business.
What kind of gift do you think represents your business?
If you’d like to work with us to create a truly unique gifting experience for your brand, we’d love to hear from you.
Until next time,
