Corporate gifts, any suggestions?

Corporate gifts, any suggestions?

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Louis Balfour

24,091 posts

209 months

Yesterday (19:02)
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
I regarded freebies as an opportunity to get my logo in front of prospects (and to keep it in front of clients) so I chose blockpads and coffee mugs. Most other gifts either get passed down to the office cat or shut in a drawer all day so nobody sees them. So it was aA useful item for them and some prime desk space rented for me smile
We gave Mon Blanc pens as corporate gifts one year. I am guessing the cat didn't get them.

I ummed and ahed about whether to have them engraved with our company name, or whether to let the recipient just remember who'd gifted the pen. What would you have done?

surveyor

17,350 posts

171 months

Yesterday (19:37)
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Simpo Two said:
I regarded freebies as an opportunity to get my logo in front of prospects (and to keep it in front of clients) so I chose blockpads and coffee mugs. Most other gifts either get passed down to the office cat or shut in a drawer all day so nobody sees them. So it was aA useful item for them and some prime desk space rented for me smile
8 years ago I sent to several offices of one of my large clients several 'millennium' editions of a coffee mug to celebrate 1,000 surveys with my logo and images of property I had inspected. I now work for them, and those mugs are still around and in use. Don't undervalue a simple mug!

Simpo Two

81,665 posts

252 months

Yesterday (20:26)
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
We gave Mon Blanc pens as corporate gifts one year. I am guessing the cat didn't get them.

I ummed and ahed about whether to have them engraved with our company name, or whether to let the recipient just remember who'd gifted the pen. What would you have done?
My objective was not 'You've spent loads of money with me so here's a shiny present', but 'Here is a thing that will be useful to you and oh look it just happens to have my logo and a few bullet points so that it will imprint itself into your mind'.

I think the issue with an unbranded gift is that whilst it might be nice and get used, it's not connected to you. So I would always brand them to increase the effectiveness of the gift. It can do no harm, only good.

Louis Balfour

24,091 posts

209 months

Yesterday (20:34)
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Louis Balfour said:
We gave Mon Blanc pens as corporate gifts one year. I am guessing the cat didn't get them.

I ummed and ahed about whether to have them engraved with our company name, or whether to let the recipient just remember who'd gifted the pen. What would you have done?
My objective was not 'You've spent loads of money with me so here's a shiny present', but 'Here is a thing that will be useful to you and oh look it just happens to have my logo and a few bullet points so that it will imprint itself into your mind'.

I think the issue with an unbranded gift is that whilst it might be nice and get used, it's not connected to you. So I would always brand them to increase the effectiveness of the gift. It can do no harm, only good.
That's what I decided to do!

Starfighter

4,537 posts

165 months

Yesterday (20:41)
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Make them flight safe. I have been offered a variety of stuff and you would be surprised how much gets turned down due to it not being able to hand carry home.

Ari

Original Poster:

18,811 posts

202 months

Yesterday (23:09)
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Starfighter said:
Make them flight safe. I have been offered a variety of stuff and you would be surprised how much gets turned down due to it not being able to hand carry home.
Years ago on a company jolly to Turkey I was given a 250ml bottle of olive oil as a gift. I did say that there was no way I'd get it on the plane (was hand luggage only). They insisted and said it'd be fine.

I re-gifted it to the taxi driver rather than throw it away. biggrin

Louis Balfour

24,091 posts

209 months

Ari said:
I re-gifted it to the taxi driver rather than throw it away. biggrin
Is re-gifted a euphemism for paying the fare with it?

GT03ROB

12,243 posts

208 months

Austin_Metro said:
https://www.montblanc.com/en-gb/rollerball-pens_co...

Ask Mont Blanc to replace their little badge with yours. E.g pic 4.
At 260 quid there's a few companies that would have issues with employees receiving these.

shirt

21,458 posts

188 months

Simpo Two said:
Most other gifts either get passed down to the office cat or shut in a drawer all day so nobody sees them.
even that is being kind.

i've only ever kept 3 corporate gifts - a very decent travel adaptor, a [genuine] lego model of a marine engine we were looking at buying, and a branded A2 desk pad. the latter is decent quality, perfectly sized [my keyboard sits on top of it] and gets used for general notes and doodles, the rep who gave me the first one sends me a couple each year now.

if i was gifted a pen, it would depend how well it writes as to whether it would be used or instantly binned. branded bags, caps, umbrellas etc i just wouldn't accept in the first place. same with any kind of 'goodie bag' really, they're just full of crap.


Ari

Original Poster:

18,811 posts

202 months

Louis Balfour said:
Ari said:
I re-gifted it to the taxi driver rather than throw it away. biggrin
Is re-gifted a euphemism for paying the fare with it?
No, it's a euphemism for a tip! biggrin

He seemed pleased with it though, it was apparently quite an expensive one (do you get expensive olive oil?)

Louis Balfour

24,091 posts

209 months

Ari said:
No, it's a euphemism for a tip! biggrin
(do you get expensive olive oil?)
Yes.

Ari

Original Poster:

18,811 posts

202 months