In my 15 years in retail I was lucky enough to work with some fantastic brands that were all experts at communicating with their end customers and creating brand advocacy through clever, targeted marketing. However when it came to cementing that same relationship with the key stakeholders in their business the same care and attention was not always there. There were lovely social dinners throughout the year and a bottle of something or a hamper at Christmas. This was not to say these weren’t appreciated or enjoyed but I wonder now, knowing the budget that these gestures consumed, whether it could have been spent more wisely? More memorably?
We ask those around us all the time about the thoughtful business gifts they’ve received over the years. They struggle - er Chocolates, wine? They can barely remember. This means the exceptions really stand out. A cereal brand sent a packet of oats (so far so unpromising) but with an ‘Overnight Oats’ mason jar and recipe book this bought the items together, cemented a narrative on wellbeing and captured the current zeitgeist for instagramable breakfast bowls and superfood. I heard another story recently of a company which sent sapling bay trees to each of his clients, signifying the growing, long-lasting relationship that both sides wished to nurture -beautiful and useful? Now you’re talking. We are not looking for gimmicks, those high-impact but ultimately disposable items. We’re interested in gifts that not just get you noticed but remembered.
