Tough trading conditions and redundancy have left staff having to cope with heavy workloads.

"Organisations have had to let people go... sad for them, but the amount of work hasn't gone away from those who are left behind," says Gordon.

"What you can do with a hamper, a bottle of wine or something relatively inexpensive is say 'thank you'. And if you personalise it, it says so much more. It says that you care. A gift can say so many things."

New products come to market all the time, adds Gordon. "We are still seeing a growth in eco products, despite the recession.

"The downside, however, is that there are certain communities that have suffered as a result of the credit crunch - business that traditionally would have bought a lot of merchandise at Christmas. I am thinking about the banks in particular."

Such institutions are likely to hold back on their promotional spend, for fear of being viewed as frivolous, especially by the media, adds Gordon.

There is, however, still a healthy demand for branded or personalised corporate gifts, particularly prestigious gifts such as silverware, wine and port.

"Traditionally, Christmas is a big time for port and wine and silverware branded executive gifts among businesses such as law firms," he adds.

And many firms choose to reward loyal staff at Christmas, so there is an opportunity sell trophies and engraved crystal.

Calendars and diaries are another growth area, with ever more ingenious ways of personalisation.

And fun items always go down well, adds Gordon. "It's the novelty stuff that tends to take off at Christmas. At the bpma Christmas lunch, it's as much about the bpma goodie bag as about the lunch. People like to think they've come away with something."

Most offices have a Secret Santa at Christmas - the perfect vehicle for personalised goodies.

"I saw a great product yesterday," adds Gordon, "it's a Christmas hat - but it's in miniature, about the size of a double thimble and it's called a Mini Hattie."

"And there's another great product called Willie Wetsuit. It's a mini wet suit on a keyring with a zip down and on the inside you put a condom."

Available from Brightbutton (see separate story) in a choice of seven colours there is 60mmx30mm of space on the back to place branding.

Brightbutton market the product as a fun way of promoting safe sex - and at Christmas party time, it could be an extremely timely give away.

From personalised miniature "big" trees, to hampers and wine, there are myriad ways to say Happy Christmas - and thank you.

For more inspiration, visit the bpma's website, www.bpma.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---