Corporate Gifts
Unlike personal gift-giving we do on special occasions, corporate gifts entail some rules. This is due to the professional decorum that a business environment calls for, when only the appropriate gifts are given, and only when called for. This is especially true in corporate environments, where an act of gift-giving can be misconstrued, for example, to facilitate promotions, request for favors, or back up a plan or a deal.
As a general rule, corporate gifts must not be too personal, flashy or expensive that the recipient will be subjected to owe something to the giver to balance the “generosity.” As such, money, luxury items like cars, jewelry, or travel tickets and especially personal favors can be a cause of a justified complaint by personnel who see something malicious in these types of gifts given.
On the other hand, there are corporate gifts that make the cut in terms of professionalism, decency and plain polite gesture between the giver and the receiver. Generally, presents like fruits, metal trinkets, a traditional garment, or decorative marble and stone crafts are safe to give. Over the years, modern businessmen and professionals have also warmed up to giving gourmet food like chocolates, preserved meats, sweets and wine.
Today, popular corporate gifts include everyday basic items bearing the company’s corporate branding image on journals, calendars, diaries, mugs, pins, office table decors and other small yet practical items. A coffee-table book that documents the history of the giving company is also a popular corporate present. Meantime, food is always a safe bet when it comes to corporate giving. The most popular ones include assorted gift baskets, chocolate boxes, and gourmet coffee or tea in decorative tins.
Corporate gifts are not only confined in a business setting. Heads of states around the world exchange “corporate gifts” like replicas of national emblems, a national costume, a painting by a national artist or a prized local product, such as food preserves or native crafts.
