Once again a number of thoughtful year end gifts arrived at Mercer Island Group from agencies and clients. It’s a nice touch. And as our readers know, as appreciated as these gifts are, the best gifts a client or agency can give most often directly relate to the working relationship and how each partner can better succeed. We discussed that in a late December blog.
Regardless, the gifts we received were so very thoughtful and appreciated. Such a range! From small gifts like technology products, cookies, chocolate, coffee and spirits to mailings of products from brands the agencies have supported during the past year.
A lovely tradition!
And in the midst of all of these gifts, a handful really stood out. How did they do that?
The agency gifts that stood out did so by going beyond generosity. They were designed specifically to contribute to the brand building of the agency.
Here’s one example from Cactus, a fine full service independent creative agency in Denver: an actual cactus.
Why is this special?
- Longevity: It’s a Cactus! It will hang around long after the chocolates from other agencies have been consumed, as a reminder of the agency.
- Positioning: The small sign proclaims the agency’s positioning: We help brands thrive in harsh conditions.
Nicely done, Cactus folks.
FIG once again showed up with a special, brand-centric gift.
The starting point was a magnificent multi zip case from Smythson of Bond Street:
The case is beautiful… and has the FIG “fig leaf” image etched into the leather as an ongoing reminder of the agency.
There was a lovely card from one of the founders on the beautiful and distinctive FIG stationary (showing the stationary, not the lovely, personal note):
The holiday package didn’t end there! The clever folks at FIG also included a lovely letter, a series of case studies and a one-pager on their amazing StoryData capability:
The FIG Holiday mailing was a winner as:
- The multi zip case included the FIG “fig leaf” image, providing an ongoing reminder of FIG
- The lovely, personal hand-written note
- The cases and StoryData materials are a reminder of FIG’s amazing capabilities
Another exceptional gift came from 116 & West, a small, talented full-service creative agency in Boise: A 500 piece jigsaw puzzle.
A puzzle? Why? Why would a puzzle be a good example of an agency gift?
There are many nice aspects of the gift, like the notion that a jigsaw puzzle can help a Holiday get-together be really special. And the gift can then have ongoing value as it hangs around a business or home and can reused indefinitely.
Those characteristics are just a start regarding what makes the gift so special.
A quick look at the box end tells the rest of the story: 116 & West’s agency positioning – Unstoppable Creativity Fueling Business Momentum – is highlighted on the package.
The front of the box is both fun and also screams the agency’s distinctive positioning, along with multiple mentions of the 116 & West brand:
The back of the box brings the agency’s distinctive positioning to life:
Finally, one of the other box ends is a simple reminder of the item: 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle along with the URL for the agency.
This is branded holiday gift giving magic, as it:
- is fun
- has recurring value
- can be used by many during the holidays and after
- highlights the agency’s distinctive positioning
- is branded in numerous locations
- includes the agency’s URL
What does this all mean? Well, to start off let me be clear that most agency holiday gifts are lovely and thoughtful. And unnecessary. But there IS a difference in impact depending on how distinctive and agency brand centric a gift is.
Our advice, to make the most of an agency investment in holiday gifts is to focus on how the gift can enhance the recipient’s memory of your agency and the agency’s reputation. Go the extra mile by ensuring your gift enhances your agency’s memorability and can serve as a reminder of what your agency stands for. Chocolates are delicious, but building your agency’s brand is gold.
Steve Boehler, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Ulta Beauty, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Kaiser Permanente, Holland America Line, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
Mercer Island Group helps marketers and agencies succeed. Company leadership is as much at home with marketers and their C-Suites as in an agency’s boardroom. With marketers, Mercer Island Group is a top 5 agency search consultancy covering all types of agency relationships (creative, media, web, PR, experiential) and assists marketers with marketing organization structure, workflow and critical skill development (briefing, creative evaluation & feedback, etc.). The company also supports leading and aspiring agencies with positioning, pitch and strategy training and pitch support.