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You may want to reward an outstanding employee, a loyal supplier, a helpful sponsor, or simply want to show gratitude to helpful fellow employees who have made it easier to cope with the pressure at work. Irrespective of the motivation behind the corporate gift , it should be innovative and display careful thought for the recipient.

While deciding in a corporate gifts, bear in mind the reason you are gifting it to the future-recipient. A gift to your boss during the December holidays may not seem entirely appropriate if given after the boss has announced the companies end year results(particularly if the expected growth targets were not achieved!) A golf kit corporate gift will be appreciated by an upcoming executive, especially if he happens to be a golf enthusiast, but the same gift will be valueless to a staff member who has never played the sport in his life.

For corporate gifts that are intended for individuals, it’s good practice to see it to that the gifts are personalized. In situations where the recipients are a team, identical corporate gifts to each team member of the team will contribute towards encouraging team spirit.

Look for Value-driven gifts

Corporate gifts to your most valued clients should never be given as an afterthought. This is because the clients are likely to see that gift as your measure of their value to you. Thus tacky gifts are to be steered clear of. Make sure that the corporate gift you send to your client is valuable(we are not talking diamond cuff-links!) However, spending excessively on corporate gifts is definitely not advisable.

When you want to give a corporate gift to an employee who has consistently performed well, try to ensure that the gift has an “outsider” element. It is not recommended to gift an item that your organization ordinarily deals with. It will be quite a dampener if a wine making establishment gifts two bottles of their best brands to their top-performing sales- man.

Don’t get too personal

While choosing corporate gifts, try to find ones that the recipient will personally use. Do not gift items that are meant to improve their businesses or ones that have to be shared with the family. But while it is a good idea to consider items that are personal, some items may be personal to the point of being invasive. Clothes, for instance (and undergarments in particular) will always be seen as a bit intrusive by the recipients and are are at best avoided for corporate gifting.

Not all items of personal use need be intrusive. For instance, watches are excellent corporate gifts, though other types of jewelry may not be suitable. While still on appropriateness, consider whether the corporate gift in question, is acceptable for different types of people. Try to keep in mind that the gift should be gender-suitable.

Keep in mind that the idea behind corporate gifts is to make recipients feel valued and cared-about, so balance the aesthetic value of the gift with useful functionality to leave a lasting impression. Remember a gift that can be used will be appreciated more than a decorative item, so try and gift something that adds value to the recipients life.