The Idea of Corporate Gifting

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Corporate gifting is a strategic approach to creating touchpoints and relationships with clients and employees. Promotional merchandise was given away to create a corporate identity and to build goodwill both for external and internal clients.

Companies, small to large scale rely on the power of corporate gifts, it became their alternative to billboards. Corporate gifts are more target focus and have a bigger percentage to create a positive response from their clients. In an article released by Manila standard, 89% of customers who received gifts had a brand recall, and 85% made a connection with the company that gave the products. This positive effect of corporate gifts has a psychological explanation, according to the LinkedIn article, when people receive gifts, they will remember the company who gave the gifts especially if it’s functional and unique. Gifts, also create the feeling of “reciprocity and trust”, it motivates the receiver to try the product or services of the company that gives out gifts.

Corporate gifting has long been used worldwide, a printer business owner in Ohio is considered by many to be the originator of the industry. It all started when he convinced a shoe store to imprint in a book bag a simple but direct advertising message “Buy Cantwell shoes”. The shoe store owner will give a "free" book bag to every child who visits their store. The children then will carry the bag as they went to school, therefore Cantwell’s name would be seen all over the town. Because of this other printing companies picked up the idea and soon they produced other promo materials like fans, calendars, etc.

Nowadays, corporate gifting becomes more sophisticated and more functional, it evolves rapidly especially in this digital age, from button pins to tech gadgets and custom bags.

Corporate gifts,  if given genuinely at the right time will sure to create a lasting impression on clients and employees.