Choosing Corporate Gifts That Keep Giving Back
by Gareth Parkin

Corporate gift baskets have become de rigueur in doing business these days. If you do marketing, you know that corporate gift baskets are among the most popular thank you and holiday gifts sent out between businesses. The stuffing for the basket may include anything from jars of jam to bottles of wine to chocolate bars, and once the goodies are consumed, the gift and sender are often relegated to the back of the mind. There are ways to make your corporate gifts more memorable, though. Here are a few ideas for corporate holiday gift baskets that will pay off for you in better business year round.

1. A Coffee Basket for the Office Don't forget your customer's staff when sending out gift baskets. Include the office support staff with a basket full of gourmet coffee beans and a round half dozen coffee mugs so everyone has his or her own. Suit the head honcho's gift to the theme by including a classically isolating flask set in a deluxe presentation box.

2. The Executive-on-the-Go Corporate Gift Basket Tuck some business essentials into a standard gift basket or presentation box. Some possible inclusions - a personal planner and business card holder, a mobile phone chair, a convertible hands-free mobile kit and an emergency mobile phone charger. You can imprint any or all of them with your business logo, making this a great promotional gift that still has a personal touch.

3. "Fore" the Golfer Corporate Gifts Put together the typical corporate gift basket with fruits and chocolates, but give it staying power by including a box of imprinted Titleist or Wilson golf balls and a tin of golf tees, or a golf gift box with a fork and markers.

4. Wine and Cheese Corporate Gift Basket Choose an assortment of cheese and crackers, and include a trio of wines with your own customized bespoke label. The finishing touch - an elegantly styled corkscrew to keep on hand for special occasions, with your logo discreetly engraved on the satin finish metal.

5. A Desktop Corporate Gift Basket For the office support staff people on your list, put together a nifty basket that combines treats with practicalities. Fill it up with delicious gourmet snack treats, then finish it off with a selection of midrange and inexpensive promotional items that make the job easier and more fun. Some suggestions to include - a desk pad-calendar, a block of sticky memos, a coordinating pen and a stand-up stapler that won't walk off from their desks and disappear into someone's drawer.

As you can see from the above suggestions, there are many ways to customize corporate gifts and put novelties and specialty gifts together in a unique way that will be remembered throughout the year. The key to making corporate holiday gifts that make an impression without seeming overly promotional is to put them together in unusual ways that make each gift practical and useful, and the entire package a thoughtful statement that will resonate each time your customer uses one of your gifts throughout the year.

About the Author

Gareth Parkin is the co-founder of Ideasbynet, the UK's leading online corporate gifts This article originated at http://BusinessPartnerships.ca and is copyright © 2005 Business Partnerships Canada (a division of pixcode Inc.).
All rights reserved.
This article may be reprinted and redistributed as long as the copyright and authorship information is included with the article. previous article    next article