January 2016 - Simplicity Gifts

Most hated corporate gifts and what you can give instead

January 29, 2016/in Corporate Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Image source: amazonaws.com

Now that another holiday season is upon us in Singapore, corporate gifts are once again, a major part of the marketing strategies and tools in many businesses. When it comes to corporate gifts planning and selection, one step that is commonly overlooked is to ensure that you first know what not to give. Even for the experienced corporate gifts planners, it is still possible to give out the wrong gift every once in a while. Fortunately, with some careful planning and research, this can be avoided. Keeping a list of “DO-NOT-GIVE” items as corporate gifts is always a good idea, not only does it serve as a reminder, you might actually just be able to get a few ideas out of them from time to time.

And if you’re new in corporate gifts planning and selection, this list becomes even more important. This is a list that could vary from client to client, but for starters, a general list works just fine. And we just happen to have a list with us right here and we would love to share it with you. Before we start though, one thing to keep in mind is that the gifts should be as “politically correct” as possible, don’t allow even the slightest chance that it *might* offend someone, even when that someone is not a client or in your client base.

Now, let’s look at the most hated corporate gifts and what to replace them with:

Do Not Give… Cheap pens that are covered with your company logos

Do Give… Quality pens.

Pens are one of the most common corporate gifts, and it’s common for a reason. It is practical, not to mentioned suitable for just about everyone even in this digital age. To be honest, I’ve never spent a dime on pens since I started working, and I don’t ever want to. But that doesn’t mean that receiving cheap, terrible looking pens does not irritate me. It does. A lot. Just because pens are useful, doesn’t mean the quality doesn’t matter. We’ve all come across that one pen in our lives that just made us wonder “why?” – and it’s even worse when it’s covered in business logos in a hideous way.

A quality pen, however, can go a long way. Be classic and elegant with your business logo placement, this will go a long way, your recipient will appreciate the quality of the pen, as well as the design. The thoughtfulness, quality and class will then be associated with your brand.

Do Not Give… Apparels with your logo on it.

Do Give… Useful accessories.

The only impression from your clients when they receive any kind of apparels with your business on it is “Why?” and they will likely either end up in a trash can directly or never see the light of day. Some people already are reluctant to wear apparels of their own company or alma mater, expecting people to “represent” (Because let’s face it, that’s what it is) other business they might or might not have a history working with seems to be unrealistic.

Accessories, on the other hand, are more likely to be appreciated but only if it’s well design, good looking and practical. This, just like almost all corporate gifts, requires elegant and classy logo placements. Things like earphones, keys holder or ID holders would be a safe bet.

Do Not Give… Cloth napkins

Do Give… Small cleansing tools for computers

Cloth napkins, or as far as corporate gifts go, anything that is remotely relevant to personal taste in fashion should be avoided. Because you will never make everyone happy, more often than that, there will always be more frowns than smiles when they see the design, colors or even the size of it. Save yourself and everyone some troubles, just forget about it. But you know what’s irrelevant to personal taste in fashion and very practical at the same time? Small cleansing tools for laptops and computers. The chance is, your recipient has at least one of those and likely don’t have any tool to properly dust off the dust or do any level of cleaning. And all used computer can use a little light cleaning and dusting.

By now we hope you have a rough idea about what to avoid and what to achieve in corporate gifts giving. If you’re still struggling with it, ring us anytime and let’s chat about it!

Why Personalized Gifts Are Better

January 26, 2016/in Corporate Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Image source: bluepitch.co.ke

With two back to back gifting season in Singapore, corporate gifts buyers have been wondering if it is worth it to order personalized gifts for certain clients, or even, if it makes a difference at all. Today we would like to share some thoughts on this particular matter.

Let’s talk about what gifts mean to people

Gifts, in general, are considered a token for appreciation, although everyone enjoys being appreciated, there is without a doubt some different level of appreciation you can express through a gift. It has been long established that, when it comes to personal gifts, a personalized gift is better than a non-personalized gift. Not only does it create a uniqueness that is generally greatly appreciated, it also represents a more in depth relationship between the two, given at least some level of familiarization is required for one to even come up with a personal gift for another person.

What do corporate gifts mean to people, then?

Now, what about corporate gifts? Some might think that personalized corporate gifts are perhaps just one step too far and that that level of intimacy is perhaps only appropriate for friends and family. In fact, that is not the case at all. A personalized corporate gift tells your client that not only do you value the relationship you have together, you are also keen to have a closer relationship, and that they are special to you. It’s a nice gesture that invites a closer relationship, something people generally don’t hate in the world of business with almost no downside and impossible to backfire. So relax, this is not like sending your ex-girlfriend a diamond necklace with her initials carved into it, which could easily backfire and I suggest you really, really think things through before you commit.

Personalized corporate gift’s main advantage

Another strong reason to go with personalized corporate gifts is also perhaps the main reason most people do it- To stand out.

By now we know corporate gift giving is so common that almost everyone and their mother does it. This also means that people receive a lot, and I mean, a lot of corporate gifts during the holiday seasons as well as other common local occasions. Naturally, when there is a lot of something, inevitably, one or two of those things would probably go unnoticed. And because the marketing nature of corporate gift, the last thing you want is have your corporate gift buried deep under other gifts and never even see the light of day.

Now, I’m not saying that personalized gifts guarantee eyeballs, attention and appreciation from the recipient. There are still a handful of things that can go wrong when it comes to personalized corporate gifts. But at least it’s a good start to differentiate your gift from all the others. After all, in the world of business as well as professional relationships, there is no such thing as “It’s the thought that counts”.

Personalized gifts can especially be more effective at attention catching when your intended recipient is a big corporation, the more business relationships they have, the more likely that they receive a good amount of corporate gifts when it comes the season. The fact that the gift is personalized, it almost always guarantees at least a couple more seconds of time that the recipient will spend on the gift. And that is a couple more seconds of time for you to work your marketing magic with the gift. The end goal is always to ensure your client enjoy your corporate gift, not just giving out corporate gifts for the sake of it.

Now, we have shared two main reasons why we think personalized gifts are better for both personal and business purposes. There are, of course, other factors to take into consideration, such as budgets, designs, and the items you’re choosing and the level of personalization that can be incorporated to the gift. However, those vary case by case and we recommend a detailed discussion with your corporate gifts vendor to determine the best way to proceed. Last but not least, always double check with the compliance and regulation to ensure that you’re not stepping any line with your gifts and getting anyone in any trouble.

And if you had any other question, give us a ring and have a little chat, we would love to help!

A list of useful corporate gifts for Gen Y

January 22, 2016/in Corporate Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Also known as the Millennials. Proceeding the Generation X, the generation Y spans the early 20’s to early 30’s, in other words, the generation that was born between the 1980’s and early 1990’s. As they enter workforce and become the majority of entry level to mid-entry level workforce, they also become an important target for most if not all marketing campaigns. Corporate gifts, like many others, are also greatly affected by this as it is usually a “Generation Y” on the receiving end of your corporate gifts.

Image source: huffpost.com

What makes a corporate gift a good gift for the generation Y? To answer this question, you must first understand the common traits and characteristics of the generation Y, below are the 4 most common key characteristics of the generation Y:

Generation Y is tech-savvy.

Facebook, Twitter, Uber, all things online, generation Y is all over it. Data on their smart phone is key to their day to day life, strong wifi connection sometime can just be what makes their day.

Generation Y is the ultimate keyboard communicator.

Don’t be surprised that your tweet or Instagram comments get responded first before the generation Y you’ve been trying to get in touch with returns your call. Generation Y is all about the keyboard communication, send a tweet, send an Instagram comment, send a text, anything that can be done without the actual call, that’s how you keep up with a generation Y-er!

Generation Y is purpose oriented.

Generation Y is not particularly motivated by money and success, rather, purpose and happiness are more important to them, they would choose a job or a company that they believe in over a nice, fancy office. They would choose to be happy with their lives over a fancy job. What this also means, is that although they would fully devote to the job or work they find meaningful, they won’t be the clock watching type working bees, they expect the flexibility to leave the desk for a walk outside to recharge.

Generation Y is more aware of wellness and environmental friendly.

Talk to anyone in the generation Y, you would be surprised how they all seem to know what to and what not to eat (Whether they eat accordingly, that’s another story.), every one of them seems to understand the benefits of yoga and spin class, the importance of staying in shape and fitness. The age of cheese burger and BBQ all day is a thing in the past! Generation Y is also a lot more into recycling and more aware of environmental issues like climax change, regardless what their opinions are.

Now that you have an idea of what generation Y is like, let’s think about gifts that support the lifestyle or traits of the generation Y. So they are tech-savvy and can’t be without their phone? What are the little things that can support or enhance that lifestyle? We got a short list right here:

Screen protectors
Mobile Power Banks
Phone cases
Universal better chargers
Earphones
Phone wallets
Wires organizers
Mousepads

As for the happiness, purpose focused philosophy, think about what can make their day-to-day life easier, even just to lighten up their mood or for a healthier lifestyle, here’s a short list for inspiration:

Desk plants
Yoga mats
Passport holders
Mason jars and lunch boxes (Promote healthy lunches!)
Larger mugs (Less trips to the office café corner, and of course, with cool design or graphics)
Hashtag accessories (We all know generation Y lives and breathes hashtags!)
Back & Seat cushions for the office

And remember, regardless how great a gift idea is, always double check with the compliance guideline with your own company or industry. Last but not least, seek opinion and feedbacks from your own in-house generation Y before you make any decision to ensure you really “got it”. If you don’t have one, you can always just go on the street and grab a few millennial looking pedestrians and ask them what would be their ideal corporate gift!

And if that sounds just a little too exciting for you, you can also just pick up the phone and ask your corporate gift in Singapore supplier about it, if you don’t have one, or would like to get a second opinion, you can find our phone number on our website and we’d be happy to give you a couple suggestions!

Different ways of customizing your corporate gift

January 18, 2016/in Customised Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Now that we, as a society has established that customised gifts in Singapore are forever superior than non-customized gifts – that expensive necklace you got your girlfriend, regardless how expensive it is, it will never have a bigger place in her heart compares to an equally expensive necklace with one or two elements that can be associated with her (Her name, her favorite animal…etc). Let’s talk about how can we customize your corporate gift.

First thing first, your corporate gift should have a logo on it, or even two if you believe you are pulling it off design wise. What NOT to have is your client’s logo on it, regardless how “customized” you want your gift to be, the legal and authorization issues that come with it is something nobody needs in their life.

Make sure you keep that in mind before you start brain storming your customized gift ideas. And we will help you start right here! Below are a couple tips and food for thoughts for you to play around when you’re pondering your next corporate gift ideas:

Let’s get personal

Customization is all about that personal touch. That one thing that lets your recipient know this gift is for him or her exclusively. Unfortunately, corporate gifts are not like personal gifts. The latter, you can always incorporate names or initials into just about any item to make it a “customized gift”. For businesses, another company’s logo and trademark is the two things you want to avoid.

Just because the easiest way to do it is a no-go, doesn’t mean you should be discouraged though. With some extra thoughts, you can still come up with a very personal and customized gift for your clients. Here are two ways to achieve just that:

Look for items that have a lot of room for graphic design

For example, things like calendars, coasters, note pads, mugs. These things might not come across as the most interesting items in the world, but they all have a good amount of room for graphic design. This means that you can employ your creativity and come up with a design that can make it “personal”.

Look for items that have a direct link to your clients

In the Chinese culture, it’s been a tradition that when there is a new born in the family, family members would purchase gold necklace, bracelet or accessory that is in the shape of theme of the Chinese zodiac animal sign of the new born. A fancy, and yet very personal gift. The same concept could work for your corporate gifts as well. Is the office of your client located in an iconic or famous building? Is it close to any famous travel destination? What is their representing or signature product? (Remember, never use the actual design of their products, logos nor trademarks). Think about what kind of item you can pick out as a gift that gets the “Aw, that’s so us” reaction when you give it to your clients.

customised gifts singapore

It’s all about them, or your relationship together, but never about you.

Lastly, remember you want to get one of the following reactions when you give them the gifts.

“Whoa, this is so us.” – with “us” being their company.

“Aw, this reminds me of our working relationship together.

For the first reaction, the aforementioned two tips are both great ways to do so, for the latter one, you could try a series or display, or showcase of your past projects together. One thing to keep reminding yourself during your thought process is that “It’s not about me nor my company”, that is, with one exception and one exception only: Unless it’s funny.

Of course, if all else fails, you can always consult with your corporate gift vendors. While they might not know your history with the client as well as you do (Something you can always try to explain and share with them), they do have the advantage of knowing the trends and insights when it comes to corporate gifts. You can even ask to look at their portfolios for some inspiration, or have them guide you through the planning process to find something thoughtful for your client!

So don’t be shy! Talk to your corporate gifts vendors today to get some ideas, inspirations and advice from them, if you don’t have one already, our door is always open for you!

Customized Gifts for Your Business Clients

January 15, 2016/in Corporate Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

With Chinese new year right around the corner, this also means one thing in Singapore: It’s corporate gifts season!

Image source: alkof.com

Corporate gift is not a new thing; in fact, it is so common that everyone and their mailman has either given or been given corporate gifts, and that is both a blessing and a curse. The delightful part is, giving always brings in a good feeling, that is, if you know for sure that you do a good job giving the gift. On the other hand, exactly because corporate gift is so common, a lot of them are considered very boring, some gifts, and this might seem cruel, have never even been opened! And that, would be the cursing. Nobody wants to give out a gift that never gets opened. Not even for corporate gifts, and especially not corporate gifts!

So the question is, how do you avoid being boring with your corporate gifts for the business clients? And keep in mind that the chance is that your business clients receive, or at least have seen a lot of corporate gifts.

There are more than a couple answers and approach to this question, but making them customized gifts is always a good approach and first step to that. By doing this, you let them know that they are special to you, and that you have them in mind when you are doing your holiday or seasonal greetings planning.

How do you customize gifts for your business clients?

When it comes to customized gifts for business clients, almost everyone’s first instinct is to incorporate their logo to your gifts. While this is a very sweet thought, it almost always creates some copy right issues. Remember, logos are generally protected by trademark and are intellectual property. Unauthorized use of someone else’s logo should be avoided. Even if and when you mean well. Another thing is that it might trigger some compliance issue, especially if your client is a big or even multi-national company. Should any of the gifts end up at the hand of a third party, the logo on it would be generally interpreted as the source of the item, which would be associated with responsibility. Should things go south, it could go wrong real fast, and bad.

That is not to say you shouldn’t put any logo on your gifts at all. In fact, you should definitely put your own logo, not only will that remind them where the gift came from somewhere down the road, it will also prevent the “out of sight, out of mind” situation when your interaction with each other is less frequent.

No their logo, just my logo, what else can I do to make my gift for my business client more “customized”?

Generally, a gift that comes with your own business logo is already considered “customized”, but, it never hurts to take it to the next level. For example, things like calendars have a lot of space of customization. If you are producing a large number of corporate gifts for one business clients and have a long history of working together with the client, considering creating designs or images that tells the story of your working history or a showcase of the products or projects that you’ve worked together on. Yes, calendars are very common and could often be boring, but this touch of customization will certainly make your calendar stands out while sending the message of “We care about you and we value your business and our working relationship!”.

If you don’t have a long list of products or projects that you’ve worked on together, don’t get frustrated just yet. If your client’s office is in an iconic building, a nice, little model of the building as an accessory is always a cute way to say thank you and this is a special gift for you.

After all, the art of gift giving, regardless corporate gifts or personal gifts, is revolve around bringing joy to the recipient. Making them feel special is a great way to do it. Whatever you’re choosing to give to your client as a highly customized, corporate gift, don’t be afraid to make it personal. It could be an item that means something to them, it could be something that triggers the memory of working together, or even something that would make anyone think of them.

To sums it up, the general directions you want to go for a very customized corporate gift for your client are:

Make it all about them (But do not use their logo)
Make it all about your long history of working together

And remember, don’t limit yourself with designs, graphics or prints to demonstrate the above, a clever little item that does either of that would work just fine!

Corporate Gift Ideas for the Holidays

January 11, 2016/in Corporate Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Now that we have survived another Christmas/New Year holiday season; and some of us still have the holiday weight to show for it. It’s time that we get ourselves well prepared for another major holiday season in this side of the world, the lunar new year! Yet another corporate gifts season in Singapore. Although it is more than “just another” corporate gifts season. The lunar new year corporate gifts season provide a chance for redemption for those who did really, really bad in the “Christmas/New Year corporate gifts season”. For the western holiday season, did you send your clients a bunch of calendars with big pictures of “fruit of the month” when neither of you nor your clients’ business is fruit related by ay mean? (Why? What even inspired the fruit themed calendar?) This is the time for redemption. I’m talking about full swing, all or nothing, comeback kid style. Or, did you do really good in the western holiday day season and figure you can just sit back and relax for this round? Don’t be silly. You’ve already raised the bar, now you have to keep up with your own good work!

Now, between digesting and recovering from the excessive eating while drinking from the Christmas/New Year holiday season and planning/looking forward to the binge drinking while eating that is for sure going down during the lunar new year, the brain juice could be running just a little low and you might need a helping hand coming up with some perfect corporate gift for the lunar new year holidays. We can relate and we are here to help.

Below are a few ideas to get you started, or, you can just make them yours, every one of those ideas is free!

1. The Red Envelopes.

I know what you’re thinking, red envelopes? How original. But let’s really think about it. What is that one thing that people need during lunar new year holidays? Red envelopes. Do people enjoy buying them themselves? I know I don’t. It’s always a bummer when I run out of red envelopes and have to step out and make an effort to find them, knowing full well that it is unacceptable, unthinkable even to give out money without those red envelopes.

Another thing is, red envelopes are often boring and even ugly sometimes, but there are also really, really well designed, pretty and quality looking red envelopes. And exactly because there are a lot of bad ones, the well designed, quality ones are simply impressive. Making your recipient look really good in front of family and relatives.

Take a look at these impressive, well designed, quality red envelopes that I wish I receive all my cash in them:

Image source: aliexpress.com

Related (Why buy corporate gifts?)

Image source: aliexpress.com

I rest my case.

2. Chinese tea cups

Aside from the binge drinking and eating, another thing that is strongly associated with lunar new year is the morning tea tradition. This lunar new year, give your clients and potential clients some cute, well designed tea cups for the morning tea, or, you know, just to look at. Hide your company logo in the bottom to let your clients know that it’s more important to give them a gift that is well designed, looks good than constantly reminding them about you.

Image source: domitea.com

Image source: fler.cz

3. Coasters

Speaking of beverage, when you’re done with your Chinese tea, the chance is, for the rest of the day you probably rather be sipping something cold, with that hot Singapore sun outside all day. As refreshing and enjoyable as cold drinks, there is, however, absolutely nothing enjoyable about having water stains on your wooden table or having wet circles all over the place. And that’s when coasters come to the rescue. Another thing that sounds boring at first, but with a lot of potential of both being impressive through great design, and a lot of room for personalization.

For example, these coasters are sometimes even more fun than the beverage that will be sitting on them!

Image source: emanatedesign.com

Image source: architecturedesigns.com

And this is how you can keep your coasters traditional but also impress your clients with the graphic design (And all that room for you to subtly incorporate your logo somewhere!)

Image source: pinterest.com

And don’t forget, 2016 is the year of monkey!

http://balticswag.com/186-thickbox_default/monkey-coasters.jpg

Image source: balticswag.com

Why buy corporate gifts?

January 8, 2016/in Uncategorized/by Simplicity Gifts

Image source: corporategiftscompany.com

Corporate gifts have been a long tradition for not only companies in the east, but also companies in the west. Although in Asia, there are indeed more occasions for corporate gifting. For a major and international city like Singapore, corporate gifts can be seen on traditional western holidays like the new year and Christmas, as well as Chinese holidays like the lunar new year. Other than the major holidays, companies in different industries also send out corporate gifts on related holidays or occasions.

Okay, so everyone is doing it. But why should I?

Doing something just because everyone is doing it is never a good idea, however, if everyone is doing it, you might want to take some time to see why. Here are a couple common reasons:

Because they are gifts

First of all, corporate gifts, by nature, are gifts. And no matter how you look at it, everybody likes gifts. This might seem overly obvious, but it’s the key point to keep in mind when and if you decide to start giving out corporate gifts. As this is commonly overshadowed by other reasons behind corporate gifts.

When doing business or maintaining a business relationship, it is always better to have a happy and enjoyable relationship. And every now and then some small gifts could just be the perfect reminder of how you care more than just business and can often bring people closer. Your customers might be used to interacting with you in a professional manner, but at the end of the day, business is done by people. The human factor in any business relationship is still a key to many success as well as failure.

The perfect reminder

A unique or practical gift can stay on the recipient’s desk or everyday life for a long time. This is the reason why most if not all corporate gifts often come with a logo of the gifting company. Seeing your logo even when they are not in need of your service can put the image of your logo in the back of their mind, and when they do need your service, they are more likely to get in touch with vendors that they already know and remember. Even in the world of business, there is still some truth to the saying “out of sight, out of mind.” – So if you are not going to hang around on a daily basis, why not give out a little something to do exactly just that for you?

A subtle marketing tool

Technically, anything with a company logo on it but not a product is considered a marketing material. Corporate gifts might not be as aggressive as flyers or advertisements, they still play a role in the marketing of your brand or company. As previously mentioned, it is a perfect reminder for your customers to keep you in mind. Choosing gifts that are somewhat related to your service or products can take that to the next level and further strengthen your customers’ impression on you. For example, if you are offering IT service, consider giving out USB thumb drives. If you are selling printing supplies, consider giving out unique pens or other stationary.

Furthermore, this is also an opportunity to show your customers who you are as a company. A sophisticatedly designed and executed gift says “We pay attention to details and care about everything we do.”. A simple, but practical gift says “We are not about nonsense and focus on getting the job done.”

And remember, the more your gift is being used or displayed, the more exposure it gets. This makes it a subtle advertisement for your brand and company.

Let your customers know that you are thinking of them

Just because the exchange of corporate gifts is between two parties or individuals that have a business relationship or potential business relationship, doesn’t mean it has to be all business. Think about why you get your friends and family presents on major holidays and special occasion. To make them smile? If so, the thought of wanting to make them smile itself is a proof of having them in mind the first place. Now, think about how pleasant it is to receive holiday greetings or just an unexpected postcard from friends in overseas. That’s how great it feels to know that someone is thinking of you. Now, through corporate gifts, you have the power to make your customers and potential customers to feel the same way, why waste it? When they know you are thinking of them, sometimes down the road, they will be thinking of you, too!

The Three Standards of Corporate Gifts Giving

January 4, 2016/in Customised Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Before you pull the trigger on ordering your first batch of corporate gifts, you might want to be more well-prepared than “Ok, I’m going in.”, Corporate gifts are more than just gifts, they are also a marketing tool, hence, an investment. In almost every part of the world, including Singapore, customized gifts have been a standard practice for companies in all industries. But just because it’s very common, doesn’t mean that you can do no wrong when it comes to corporate gifts giving.

Image source: imimg.com

And if you are doing it because “Everyone else is doing it” – it is even more important that you try to maximize the benefits of giving out corporate gifts and avoid mistakes that will make this investment worthless.

If you don’t know where to start or where to avoid in your corporate gifts planning, then you’ve found the right place. Here are our three standards of corporate gifts giving, hope to be helpful for your corporate gifts giving planning!

It’s a gift, not a bribe.

Avoid anything too flashy or expensive, especially if your customers include government organizations or bribe-sensitive industries like finance, pharmaceuticals or healthcare. Just because you would have no problem giving your friend an iPad as a gift doesn’t mean you should be giving iPad to your customers and potential customers. Most large companies have their own guideline when it comes to the value cap of corporate gifts. If your business does not currently have such guideline, an experienced corporate gifts vendor should be able to advise you based on industry standard. You don’t necessary have to follow big companies’ restriction of the value of corporate gifts, but being around the same range would be a safe play, and this is exactly the kind of matter that it’s best to play safe with.

It’s not about you, it’s about your recipient.

Yes, corporate gifts can be a powerful marketing tool. And yes, you should definitely put your logo on the corporate gifts you are giving out. But no, you absolutely should not make it all about you.

This means that in the design and planning stage, you should have your recipient in mind, don’t focus on how big your logo can be or how many messages you can squeeze in to promote your service or product. Nobody likes a gift with agenda (Or, obvious agenda.) and this can backfire easily, causing negative reaction from your recipient.

Be subtle, be elegant with your marketing, market with moderation. Don’t give out a T-shirt that is filled with your business logo or has a big, oversized logo of your business right in the front and center. The best case scenario, it would never be worn. But the worst case? It could end up being used as a mop in a dirty bathroom somewhere near you. Nobody wins there. Except the bathroom.

The more mobile it is, the better.

You can always give out gifts that will stay at the recipient’s office desk, but in order to maximize exposure for marketing purpose, the more mobile the gift is, the better. You want the recipient to bring it out with them so other people can see it. For example, a USB flash drive would be more likely to be seen by other people than a desk notepad.

Another reason why it’s always better to choose a corporate gift that is more mobile is that, in all likeliness, your recipient’s entire office is probably already familiar with your product or service. Sure, you can always try to strengthen your brand image or recognition in that office, but your corporate gifts will probably have more marketing value when it’s being seen outside the office, generating brand recognition from potential customers.

After reading our 3 standards of corporate gifts giving, we hope that you now have a much better idea in your corporate gifts planning. Other than the aforementioned 3 standards, it also goes without saying that corporate gifts should always be sensitive to different cultures and avoid anything provocative.

If you are still not sure where to start with your planning even after knowing the what-not’s, not to worry, you can always speak to a couple different corporate gifts vendors to get an idea of what is appropriate for the occasion or the latest trend.

And it just so happens that we would love to speak with you and help you get a better idea! Don’t be shy, give us a call now and we would be happy to answer your questions!

Corporate Gifts as A Marketing Tool

January 1, 2016/in Corporate Gifts/by Simplicity Gifts

Don’t let the name “Corporate gifts” fool you, corporate gifts have been, in fact, used as a marketing tool all over the world. And in major business hubs like Singapore, unique corporate gifts are often one of the best marketing tools of businesses.

Image source: dekassa.com

How so?

Corporate gifts, unlike traditional marketing tools like advertisements, banners, or posters, are a lot more mobile, and a lot more “up close” when it comes to their exposure to your customers and potential customers.

For example, let’s say you run an herbal tea business, and you decided to make 1,000 mugs as corporate gifts. The very common practice is, a logo of your business will be on every mug. Regardless the style of the design; the logo can be very centered, or very subtly placed at the corner, but there is a logo.

And now, your recipient happens to be in need of a mug and starts using your mug around the office or at home, that means that mug with your logo on it will be seen by a number of people – the recipient’s colleagues, family members and friends. All those people now at the very least recognize your logo. And just like that, your brand recognition is now improved.

Although brand recognition is a pretty important part of any marketing strategy in just about any industry, but the marketing power of corporate gifts does not have to stop here.

Beyond Brand Recognition

Getting people to know the name of your brand is already a success as far as corporate gifts go, to take it to the next level, you would need to intrigue the potential customers and even make them get to know you.

Can you do all these through giving out corporate gifts?

The answer is yes.

Remember, anything with your logo on it is a representation of your business. That mug you made as corporate gifts? It says more than just “happy holidays!”. The quality and design of the mug represents who you are as a business. Are you going for an elegantly designed mug or a very unique or edgy mug? Are you putting a great deal of colors and graphics on the mug or are you keeping it simple? What messages are you putting on the mug?

All of the above can affect how people think of your brand. If you find this hard to believe, just think about how most people are being judged by the way they dressed in both personal and professional life. Yes, we all know we should not judge a book by its cover, but the reality is, we all do. In today’s society, fashion style has become a personal statement; how people express themselves and a telltale of who they are. And this is exactly why the design and style of your corporate gifts matter. Corporate gifts are more than gifts, they are a statement, a representation of your business.

Okay, but how do I get customers to want to get to know my business more just by seeing my corporate gifts?

Have you ever seen an advertisement, be it print advertisement or TV commercials, and you thought to yourself: “Whoa, I don’t know what this brand does but this is a very cool ad and now I have to google this brand to find out what the business is about.” ?

Corporate gifts have the potential to do just that, too!

With proper design and strategic planning, your corporate gifts can attract both eyeballs and the curiosity behind those eyeballs. This could be achieved by either a very unique design, or a very unique gift along with the right amount of wits.

For example, if you HAVE TO make calendars your corporate gift for the season, make sure it is a very unique calendar. Maybe featuring your employees in each month, making them Mr. and Ms. September and all the other months? (This might seem corny, but let’s be honest, everyone enjoys looking at people that are easy on the eyes.) Or, maybe a calendar in a shape of something funny or relevant to current pop culture trends?

Remember, no one ever google anything that is ordinary.

Just to see you smile

American country singer Tim McGraw has a hit love song: Just to see you smile. Describing how a guy would do anything to see the smile of the girl he loves. A good strategy in romance, and also a great strategy in corporate gifting.

Incorporate some humor and wits in your corporate gifts, it can be a funny quote, a funny image, a funny anything, as long as it puts a smile on your recipient’s face. Your recipient will likely then, without realizing, associate the joyful feeling with your logo (Don’t forget to put your logo on the corporate gifts, too!), making your brand all more likable!