The Gift of Giving…How Corporate Trinkets Can Bring Teams Together

As a cynical business veteran, it takes something special to get my pulse racing. Well, that is except when I am given corporate trinkets. I am a sucker for stuff. The more “Giz-its” the better, and it seems that the pandemic means that gifts are even more important and in unexpected ways.

FROM SMALL ACORNS

When I was a small boy, a load of kids from my school hit the British International Motor Show at Birmingham NEC. It was 1980, and the dull brown and velvet Seventies were being shunned for a bright, crisp, corporate landscape. Suddenly marketing was coming to the fore, the better the company, the smarter the gimmicks.

Cars got digital clocks, and the power of marketing was really starting to harness the influence of other industries for the first time. The McDonald’s Happy Meal was a new thing, and people were seduced by the power of gifts.

Anyway, back to the Show. That was when I first got a taste for marketing gifts — hats, pens, notebooks, mugs, calendars, you know the type of thing. I was hooked on the power of what I term “stash”.

I felt a sense of connection to the companies that gave, I loved the cars, yes, but even more so the energy and simple joys of receiving nice things. Now, of course, I wasn’t buying. That didn’t stop me from becoming hooked and having a lifelong affinity to certain brands. Put simply giving stuff, gets people hooked.

ZIGGING AND ZAGGING

During COVID the promotional products industry took one heck of a beating. As you might imagine. From the most basic business card, through to high-end exhibition stands, and all manner of goodies in between. The fact that so many companies of all kinds drew their horns in meant the impact was felt horrendously on the promo industry. In the US, research showed that companies lost on average around 16% of their business, almost overnight.

To me, this seems incredible. I am a man who zigs when the world zags, and so when everyone stops giving, then to me that is the time to start. Not necessarily in the ways, you might think though.

For me, what the pandemic has done is accelerate the working from home/remotely trend, and I sense that promo goodies have a really important part to play in building the bond between companies and their people.

Ok, yes some big companies are dragging everyone back into the office. However, for agile tech companies, this is such an incredible opportunity. A chance to attract talent from wherever it is found. To give great people an amazing working experience, as they decide the rhythms and patterns of life.

GIVING TODAY

So, it is my theory that there is no better time, or indeed more important moment to make sure that your people feel part of what you do. That they sense engagement, that you care about them, and that they know how to care about the company.

For that reason, promotional products are such a great way of bringing that bond back. Re-establish and rekindle with those who have stuck around, while making new staff feel part of something exciting.

The power of marketing on your chest, back or in your hand — the effect of Teams or Zoom in which the same mugs are raised, pens twiddled and notebooks scribbled in. In a time of dislocation, these small things matter.

It can’t fix everything, but really great t-shirts, hoodies or water bottles — all plastered with your logo. They do have a galvanising effect. There is an impact to sharing, to show that we all care about the company, and by default each other.

KEEP THE PEOPLE HAPPY

In a real team, there is that sense of camaraderie, of unified goals and shared experiences. We have pulled people apart from each other, and now we have to think about ways of making them feel connected.

It is unlikely that many places will have their offices filled again, or certainly not for a while to come. So, in the meantime give a little smile, share some gifts. Make people feel impressed, pleased, happy and grateful.

There is currently a real battle for new talent, all business-people talk about that constantly. There is another issue, though, which is all too easy to forget, and that is retention.

I see the effect that small gestures make, and they are a real magnified, force multiplier. People love getting gifts. A parcel is delivered, and our people come beaming onto the next call — excited to receive gifts from the company. They feel connected and drawn back into the fold because we have given them something to be part of.

TEAM BUILDING

What this gift of giving also brings is a sense of not just identity and engagement, but of employee branding. Which sounds painful but shouldn’t be. Companies with a positive employee brand usually have an engaged, motivated workforce. People who believe in the company, and who are energised and proud to speak up for the company’s brand, products, and services.

This is about shared values, trust, belief and a real team ethos. In a time when our people are spread across countries and time zones, we need to find the means to bring them together, to give a strong sense of cohesion, shared vision and encouragement.

The worst thing about COVID is how it has stretched those bonds of what it is to be human. We aren’t built for social distancing, and corporate structures aren’t built for disparate workers. The challenge is to build togetherness again.

By looking after people, by caring, by listening, then we can do that. So, by gifting small tokens of our appreciation, we send the big message that they are part of something. They are valued, they are our team, they are not alone, and together we will achieve great things.