Advertising Gifts

Many people seem to think that business gifts, advertising gifts and promotional products are one and the same animal; and to certain extent they well be right.

However, the more discerning buyer has a quite different perspective and places each definition in separate market slots…to say nothing of an executive gift which is something else entirely.

Business gifts

It is likely that most people see a business gift - sometimes also referred to as a corporate business gift - as an everyday product that is useful around the office and can vary in price from a few pence and just keep on going.Gifts such as clocks, calculators and desk accessories fall easily into this bracket.

Advertising gifts

In fact, an advertising gift is pretty similar to business gift in that it does the same and generally hangs around and office or a desk without the advertising being necessarily overt; just a simple logo and minimal contact details. Desktop items such as quality coasters, desk diaries and mugs fall nicely into this particular niche without being unduly expensive.

Promotional products

Promotional products are more generally seen as a bit down-market from a budget point of view but this does not imply inferior quality. There’s a huge choice of inexpensive desktop promotional items that are well worth the investment although these items are seen more as a promotion than a gift…items that fall into this slot are pad blocks, pen pots, note pads, desk pads and other office impedimenta.

Outside the desk there many inexpensive products that are not cheap and nasty; just solid advertising gifts that do their job at very little cost…car air fresheners, ice scrapers, frisbees, fridge magnets are just a few popular cheap, in the price sense, promotional products.

Corporate executive gifts

But what of the executive gift? Really the very definition -an executive gift - suggests that it should be redolent of luxury and affluence…but not necessarily so if you look the average business gift and promotional catalogue. It’s easy to fall back on alcohol at this stage but there are many other options - for both sexes - you might consider. Grab a copy of Swiss Army products or the Leatherman catalogue and your search will probably be over.

Writing instruments

However, there is one item that transcends all gift definitions and could quite easily be used - at various price levels - as a business gift, advertising gift, promotional product or a corporate executive gift and that is the omnipresent writing instrument…or, as you and I know it, a pen.

They’re everywhere and at all price levels, from just a few pennies or up through 20, 30 or 40 and they just keep on going up until you reach the Mont Blanc level of big bucks…and at that level it surely must be a corporate executive gift.

So there you have it; the difference, as I see it, between all these wonderful descriptive definitions. After all, whatever it costs, it’s just a product with a logo on; isn’t it? whether it's called advertising gifts, business gifts or promotional products.