The use of business gifts to promote a company and enhance the brand is a commonly accepted practice in the business world. When used properly, they can emphasise key features of a brand, enforce company ideas and also impress existing and potential clients.
If a company choose to use business gifts to further their brand it can bring obvious rewards, but in an increasingly austere world where every move is scrutinised for openness and fair play, companies need to be more aware of how business gifts can appear to the outside world.
The Fifa investigation into gifts given by the Australian World Cup bidding team raised the issue of just when is giving promotional gifts deemed to be inappropriate? Where is the line drawn when it comes to awarding business gifts?
It isn’t just the Aussies who have come under scrutiny for their gifts to Fifa delegates. Guideline on gifts were published last year after the England bid team were found to have given luxury handbags worth £230 to members of the executive team. But when does a symbolic gift turn into something slightly more sinister?
It isn’t just high profile bidders such as the World Cup team who have to be careful. In most sectors of business there are rules and regulations concerning the awarding of gifts, and companies have to be increasingly careful how they use business gifts to promote themselves.
In instances where contracts are awarded through a bidding process, it is often seen as ill advised or inappropriate for business gifts to be given from either the awarding contractor or from the bidder. Even once the contract is awarded, the most innocent gifts such as those given at Christmas could be seen to outsiders as a kick back or a bribe, so extra care must be taken.
In these situations, particularly when public sector organisations are involved, regulations are often in place to avoid any confusion. But in any grey areas, transparency and openness are always the best policy. By making sure the gifts are declared, it avoids any unnecessary confusion and if in any doubt at all, simply return the gift. Although this creates the inevitable awkwardness that returning a gift entails, it is more preferable than any alternative investigation might be.
In most cases, the awarding of business gifts is an entirely appropriate way of spreading the word about a company. As a general rule, the gift should be symbolic of the company that gave it or bring added value to their brand. Provided that the business gift is relevant to the company involved, there shouldn’t be any confusion. It cannot be seen to be an attempt to influence any financial decision, as this brings the obvious accusations of bribery and wrongdoing.
Bear these simple guidelines in mind, and make sure there is no confusion when you award your business gift.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts
