The Promotional Gifts Blog

December is traditionally when the end of year awards season gets underway in earnest, and with FIFA debating who will win the Ballon d’Or award in football and TV magazines deciding on their television moments of the year, The Corporate Gifts Company felt it was time to pitch in with an awards ceremony of its own.

Of course, we won’t actually be giving out any awards per se, and there won’t be a ceremony, or any Hollywood A-listers, but it will give us a chance to look back on what has amused us over 2010.

So in true Hollywood style, practice your acceptance speeches, work on your dignified loser face and draw back the red curtain as The Corporate Gifts Company unveils its favourite moments from 2010.

The Corporate Gifts Company Award For The Biggest Disappointment of 2010

This award of course has to be awarded to the England football team for their performance in the World Cup. Years of build up, a flawless qualifying campaign and a team packed with international superstars and they went home defeated and embarrassed. We are as much to blame as them, we get excited every time a major tournament happens and fill our heads with expectancy and optimism, only to be let down time and again. One day we’ll learn, but until then there’s always Euro 2012 to look forward to….

The Corporate Gifts Company Award For Tiresome Weather

This award has been given to the British summer now for the last ten years, but edging it into second place this year is by far the most tiresome form of weather we have experienced in 2010, snow. And lots of it. We spent pretty much all of January and February scraping snow off the car every morning, leading to a winter of cold hands and hairy driving manoeuvres. The summer handed us a brief respite only for November to come along and for it all to start again. A day or two of snow a year is quite nice and pretty, but four months of it takes the biscuit, and this is why it has beaten the summer to the coveted Corporate Gifts Company Award for tiresome weather.

The Corporate Gifts Company Award For The Most Annoying Gadget of 2010

The judges have returned their verdict and it’s a controversial decision, with the latest IPhone taking home the gong for the most annoying gadget of the year. I’m sure it’s a technological marvel, I’m sure it’s taking the world by storm, and I’m also sure how annoying it is when it’s all IPhone owners talk about.

Ok, so maybe the award should be changed to the most annoying gadget owners of 2010, but really, surely there is more in life to talk about than networks, Wi-Fi connection and apps? A New Year’s resolution for all IPhone owners in 2011, just talk on your phone, don’t talk about it.

Stay tuned to The Corporate Gifts Company blog for more highlights of 2010 to be announced soon….

For many in the UK, early snowfall has painted a very festive scene as we enter December. The traditional Dickensian vision of a white landscape and a hearty roaring fire is being played out in many towns and cities around the country, but one winter tradition appears to be on the way out if recent statistics are anything to go by.

The customary office party has become famous for stationery cupboard exploits and indecent acts with photocopiers, but according to statistics from Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS), almost 40% of SME’s in the UK are planning to scrap the office party.

Unsurprisingly the recession has taken a bite out of corporate festivities, with 20% no longer able to afford it and 16% deeming it to be insensitive in the wake of redundancies and lay offs.

The real worry for the future of the office party comes from employers themselves, with 70% of employers having an issue with staff behaviour during and after the event. It seems that the flammable concoction of alcohol and your boss is just a little too much for some people, and the age old problem of telling your superiors exactly what you think of them can make for an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Coupled with employers being slightly concerned about the behaviour of staff is the issue of whether staff will actually enjoy a Christmas party. According to the survey 10% of companies have cancelled office parties because staff don’t want to go out together, so for those that do continue with parties there’s no guaranteeing that staff will even appreciate the gesture.

With the sales of corporate gifts set to increase this Christmas when compared to last year, businesses are seemingly not averse to celebrating the festive season, but with the added marketing benefits that are attached to corporate gifts bosses may prefer to spend on those over office parties.

Corporate gifts are also a much safer spend than office parties, with no danger of them getting drunk and making a pass at their colleagues, but would choosing corporate gifts over an office party be a victory for pragmatism over enjoyment, valuing marketing benefits and business opportunities at Christmas over staff rewards?

Of course, office parties are not without their risks, but can a work event provide a much needed pick-me-up or motivational tool to help businesses work more effectively?

While times are tough it is clear that businesses who are watching the pennies will cut expenses such as Christmas parties as this will save them much needed money. Where businesses are cutting back on parties they may well make up for it with corporate gifts or cash bonuses, and however businesses choose to mark the festive period it is important to realise its potential for rewarding hard working staff.

Whether it’s with a Christmas party or corporate gifts it is important to recognise the achievements of staff and Christmas offers the perfect opportunity to do this. Time will tell if the office party can survive in the 21^st century, but what is important is that staff continue to be rewarded for their work to maintain motivation for the benefit of both the company and employees.

Those charged with buying the office Christmas corporate gifts this year will be eyeing the calendar this week as December comes around. If you don’t have too many to buy then you might have been tempted to hit the High Street and get into the festive spirit when buying your Christmas corporate gifts, but nationwide snow and ice has left many roads and pavements treacherous, and freezing temperatures have meant that hitting the high street is only for the brave.

This unseasonably cold weather might well be good news for online stores as customers shun the freezing temperatures in favour of doing their Christmas shopping in the warm. The only real restriction to online shopping is lead times, but with more companies now offering a quick turnaround even on large orders, the web is opening up a whole new world of options for those who are leaving their Christmas corporate gifts shopping late.

So with temperatures plummeting across the country, will customers choose to shun the high street in favour of shopping in the warm?

One big advantage the high street has over internet shopping is the atmosphere created, with shops putting on Christmas displays and playing music to get everyone in the holiday mood. There is also the social aspect of shopping with friends and colleagues, and hitting the high street can be more than just the process of buying your gifts.

Forecasters (economic rather than metrological) are predicting that online stores will make big gains in the market this year, and a combination of ease of use and variety of choice makes online shopping an appealing prospect even with warmer weather outside.

High street shops will be hoping for a rise in temperatures as freezing conditions will inevitably drive more shoppers indoors, and short lead times will mean more businesses using online stores to buy their Christmas corporate gifts in December.

One thing that the internet does not have however is a Christmas atmosphere, and with consumers getting their pre-Christmas pay cheques over the next week we will soon see what effect the cold conditions are going to have. With the weather outside set to stay frightful for the foreseeable future, we will soon see if it will be a delightful festive season for online stores.

Here we go again. After spending much of January and February fighting through snow and running out of grit, the cold weather is expected to pick up where it left off this week. With snowfall predicted for much of the country, December is set to arrive with a white carpet greeting it early next week, leading bookies and weather forecasters to reduce the odds on a white Christmas.

The British obsession with a white Christmas is a curious one, based on a Dickensian view of Britain which arose from a particularly unusual cold period of weather that spanned his writing career. It now permeates every area of a British Christmas, despite the fact that very few of us have ever seen one.

Whatever the forecasters and bookmakers say, you can be sure that this image of snow gently falling as children open their presents in front of an open fire will continue as long as there is Christmas. It is a particularly appealing image for advertisers, who can at this time of year take us back to a more innocent time in order to encourage us to buy their products.

While The Corporate Gifts Company can’t promise you a white Christmas, we can promise corporate executive gifts that will arrive at your company in plenty of time for Christmas. While the corporate gifts world is winding down its Christmas operations, The Corporate Gifts Company are in an enviable position, able to provide 3 – 5 day lead times on all of our products.

We haven’t put our feet up and reached for the mince pies yet, and you can still order your Christmas corporate executive gifts right though December, ensuring a very merry Christmas for all of your staff and clients.

Over the last couple of months we have been extolling the virtues of Christmas corporate gifts on this blog, informing people of the benefits they can bring to brand marketing and showing that they can help businesses make a lasting impression on both clients and staff.

It isn’t just us in the corporate gifts game that have been praising their positive effects on brand awareness however, and a couple of articles in Women Entrepreneur magazine and Fox Business have been giving advice to companies looking to use Christmas corporate gifts.

So rather than just take our word for it, what are the independent experts saying about Christmas corporate gifts?

The general consensus appears to be that giving Christmas corporate gifts to your clients will leave a memorable impression, with quality items that balance practicality with marketing being the most effective.

An example given shows a sole proprietor who is not going to use Christmas corporate gifts, but is listing the companies who have sent gifts to her, showing in that instant just how much of an effect corporate gifts have had on her as a recipient.

With budgets tight and times still tough, it can be easy to think in a similar way and come to the conclusion that you just can’t afford Christmas corporate gifts. In reality they can be a crucial part of marketing, showing your best clients that you appreciate their custom and setting yourself up for another successful year.

When the economy is as fragile as it is, knowing where and when to spend money is crucial, so businesses have to look at the potential benefits from every spending decision. So are Christmas corporate gifts worth the money?

The articles illustrate just how memorable Christmas corporate gifts can be and the companies that get it right will secure a positive reaction from those that matter most, the customers who will be spending their money with you. They can be crucial in raising brand awareness and tipping the balance in your favour over your competitors.

It isn’t just us in the corporate gifts industry who are saying it, more an more business writers are agreeing that Christmas is a crucial time for marketing and corporate gifts play a huge role in that. There’s still plenty of time before the big day to make your order, so browse The Corporate Gifts Company website today.