Can We Rethink Corporate Gifts?
Picture this: a group of professionals are in a meeting and the icebreaker question is, “What’s the most memorable (or bizarre!) corporate gift you’ve ever received?” Well, we don’t have to wonder about the answer, because I went down the Reddit rabbit hole so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights:
- Two free tickets to a cinema. The issue was that the closest cinema in that particular chain was about 800 miles away from me.
- I was re-gifted a gift basket given to my boss by a client, and he forgot to remove the card that was addressed to him.
- A 10 year anniversary memory book with my name spelled wrong on every page.
- Company coffee mug with the company name misspelled.
- A defective plastic keychain that read “I love teching!” spelled exactly like that.
- A hand bell with my name on it. It started to corrode within a week in normal conditions.
- A piece of clay that looked like stone because we’re the “cornerstone” of the company.
- An advent calendar . . . delivered on the 15th of December.
- A CD of the owner of the company playing Christmas songs on the harmonica.
- Seatbelt cutter.
I’m sure there’s a time and a place for every kind of corporate gift, whether it’s a gift for a client or a gift for an employee, but I’m also wondering, Can we do better than seatbelt cutters and impersonal trinkets!?!?
More specifically, if you’re a local company, why not give something local? Case in point: this past week we put together some gifts for a local non-profit who hosted a training for out-of-town employees. They all went home with a taste of Wheaton!
Local goodies beautifully packaged with the client's corporate swag!
Reach out and chat with us next time you’re in need of a gift for any occasion, but especially a corporate gift—we’ll be sure it’s memorable, personal, and community-focused.
Until next time,
Lizzy