The Essence of Corporate Gifting
The joy of gift-giving has been a long tradition that different cultures all across the globe practice to show appreciation and gratitude. As a popular adage would say, it is truly better to give than to receive as it means you are fortunate enough you have been blessed with a bounty of wealth that it is easy for you to share the blessings you receive, year after year.
The same may be said to successful companies who always practice giving corporate gifts annually . Tami Clara, a senior brand manager from Singapore who is always in charge of purchasing the needed customized corporate gifts of her company to send out to business partners, patrons, valued clients, and even co-workers, shared her secret, “The price is not the primary concern if you have the time and if you are willing to be more creative. There was one year in my decade of working for my current company when we had a budget constraint but I still managed to give everyone in our list some valued gifts for Christmas. I remember buying a number of customised notebook in this big store in the outskirt of Singapore downtown, and everyone loved the design I picked. I still see that gift in my colleagues’ desk, and they use it practically every day.” Custom notebook printing is also very common during school season in Singapore—when students want a more personalized school supply item before a new semester starts.
“In my 5th year in the company I work for, I suddenly got a big box wrapped in a shiny paper with a big ribbon on it. Apparently, my boss has seen how hard I work as his executive assistant; he knows how I do not like awards as I believe everyone in the office deserves accolades for the work they do—and I do not want to be a subject of envy of others. So, he resolved to buy me a new personal laptop, as a corporate gift, he said, for all the overtime work I rendered, and for all the good work I have done for the business,” shared Jason Kang.
According to Richard Moran who wrote the article "3 Reasons Why the Smallest of Gifts Matter" , these are some of the reasons why leaders should consider gifting their subordinates: - The workplace consists of very few pleasant surprises. We all know of the unwelcome surprises like cost cutting and bad apple people, but think of the last time you had a nice surprise, no matter how small. A pleasant and welcome surprise goes a long way. - Very few gifts come without a quid pro quo. Sure the sales rep brought over some wine but don’t think there isn’t a little bit of an ulterior motive and expectation for a return on the gift. A real random act of kindness is when nothing is expected in return. - Small gifts have a return far in excess of dollars. A gesture can build a brand of good things. For example, for the two dollar leave-behind, I am now a big foursquare supporter.
“Corporate gifting is one of the many ways to help boost relationships with others. This will help you gain connections with your employees, business partners, and clients – people who are all relevant in order to keep your business active,” wrote an unnamed writer of the article Why Corporate Gifts Matter for justsimplygifts.com.sg.