Before understanding gift giving etiquette or the act of gifting in China, it is important that we understand how Chinese people approach visitors or guests. Let’s get some basic albeit vital information about way of greetings and introductions in the country.

Also, let’s get some understanding of Chinese culture & Protocol. Confucius, considered China’s greatest sage, is known to have formed a meticulous system of morals, ethics, hierarchy and behavior, setting the framework of rules for all people to deal with each other. Following are the key concepts in following Chinese culture:

Guanxi: The fundamental glue which holds the Chinese society together. The concept of guanxi is about relationships.

Mianxi: It’s about losing or saving face. It’s very important and needs to be considered at all times.

Li: It popularly denotes the art of being courteous and polite.

Keqi: Ke means guest; qi means behavior. It represents modesty and humbleness.

The Chinese generally do not appreciate doing business with strangers. If possible, try to bring in play established relationships, or an intermediary known by both sides, to establish the first contact.

Gifts are an important way of building and creating guanxi in China. Chinese etiquette demands that a person declines an invitation, gift and other offerings three times before accepting it. It’s expected that the giver of a gift will persist, gently, until the same is accepted.

We shall also see how Chinese behave or react when formally introduced to a guest. Understanding these aspects are as important as learning the gift giving etiquettes.

The Chinese people may appear rather unfriendly when being introduced.
They do not like to display excessive emotion.
Make it a point to stand up when being introduced
Remain standing till the introduction is over.
During introduction, the accepted form of greeting is the handshake. They may also nod or slightly bow.

Never present a gift which would make it difficult for the Chinese person to reciprocate in kind. This would put them in a very awkward position and cause a loss of face. Another important gifting etiquette is to be sensitive to genuine refusals.

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Chinese differ from Westerners in their approach to gifts and gifting. In the West, a sincere thank you note is an acceptable way for extending appreciation. In China, a more tangible gesture, or gift, is preferred. Let’s follow some gifting etiquettes there.

• Chinese refrain from opening gifts immediately after they receive them. You should do likewise and avoid opening gifts after receiving them unless the other person insists so.
• Gifts with your company’s logo are fine provided they do not carry things that are considered taboo and are not too flashy.
• Gifts of foreign cigarettes, fine whisky, cognac, quality wines are acceptable.
• Do not give anything in sets of four.
• Avoid gifts that carry the connotation of funerals or death like cut flowers, white objects, clocks, etc.
• Do not give scissors or any sharp object as a gift as it symbolizes severing of relations.
• Giving food items as a gift idea may not be such a good idea as it can suggest poverty.
• Do not forget to wrap gifts, but avoid using white paper. Avoid elaborate wrapping.

It is rightly stated that imitation is the best form of flattery. Taking time and effort to imbibe Chinese culture and traditions can pay rich dividends.

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In the following paragraphs, let’s try to understand finer aspects of gifting depending on to whom they are presented. Here we shall unravel secrets of successful gifting strategies to build bonds with customers and consumers.

Customers
With today’s added and pronounced emphasis on corporate ethics, it is imperative that you not only scrutinize the gift and its recipient but also the mode of the presentation. Carefully consider the points below before you make your choice:

• The first key thing is to finalize a list of those who you believe won’t mind accepting gifts
• Once you have done so, carefully make the gift choice.
• It is also crucial as how you are going to package and present them. For example, if you choose to ship gifts, you do away with a great opportunity of reinforcing the bonding between your customers and your sales force.
• The point to be underlined here is that gifts have the maximum impact when they are presented in persona with a customized touch to make the receiver feel privileged.
• The gift in itself and its worth may not matter so much if it’s dispatched and given in an impersonal manner. What enhances its worth it the way you opt to present it.

Consumers
At the outset, let’s be clear about that fact noncash awards or merchandise offered to consumers generally fall under this particular category of awards or premiums that come with games and sweepstakes. Now, let’s understand a bit more about the concept.

• The motive is to add an element of surprise for the customer
• Another purpose of giving noncash awards or merchandise is building long-term loyalty.
• The key factor in successful employment of using consumer gifts as a relationship building strategy is to have a specific goal and focus in mind. This, in other words, means, targeting customers whose volume you are in a position to track over time.
• Let’s take a practical case. A supermarket chain wants is looking to boost usage of its preferred-customer card scheme so it will be able to track their purchase patterns more accurately. It has given incentives to get consumers to sign up and make use of the card. However, its usage has begun to trail off. As part of its effort to keep alive interest in the preferred-customer card, the supermarket dispatches a surprise gift with a nice thank-you note from the president to all those who have actually used the card to purchase goods of say 1000 rupees in a month. This will result in mouth publicity and popularity of the scheme, thus fulfilling its end goal.

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Dear readers,

Today, we are glad to bring you an interview with Priyadarshini Kohli, Sr. Manager Brand Communications, INX Media to state the marketers point of view with regards to corporate gifting.

Questionnaire For Marketers

1. Does Your Company do Corporate Gifting?
YES

2. How much on an approximate basis does your company spend on corporate gifting?

NA

3. What is the most unique gift that you have come across?

A very sleek and compact calculator. It had a silver cover and the moment it was touched, it used to open up on its own stand

4. As a promotional tool does corporate gifting impact sales? If yes
can you give an example?

If it is a good looking piece/ if its very useful, it does indirectly impact sales by creating brand recall and keeping the brand top of mind, which indirectly impact sales

5. What are the type of gifts you would normally receive? Which one has
been your favorite?

Over the past have received calculators, drinking glasses, nut bowls, mobile chargers, pens etc. The favourite has been a pocket compact mirror for ladies. Extremely sleek, small and in silver colour in its individual, hot pink, satin case

6. What are the occasions on which you gift your clients? And what is
the gift?

I do not personally give gifts, but I would send a gift for either, Diwali, New Year or a new product launch. Gift would vary based on the budget, the level of the client in terms of hierarchy in the company, etc.

7. Do you read blogs or go use Social networks like Orkut? Which one?

NO

8. Do you know that Giftex has Corporate Gifting Blog which talks about
latest gifting trends in India? (Blog.giftex.in)

NO

9. Now that you know, would you visit the blog?

Yes

Thank you Priyadarshini for giving us your views on corporate gifting with a marketers perspective. We are glad to hear from you.

If any other marketers/companies/sales people wish to tell us their views on corporate gifting, you can contact us by leaving your email ID and comments below.

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Hello readers,

Today, we are glad to bring you an interview with Yash Virkud, Brand Servicing Manager at LOWE, Mumbai (Formally known as Lintas India) to state the marketers point of view with regards to corporate gifting.

Questionnaire For Marketers

1. Does Your Company do Corporate Gifting?

Not particularly

2. How much on an approximate basis does your company spend on corporate gifting?

Not that much

3. What is the most unique gift that you have come across?

We give our clients high value ideas i would consider that a gift.

4. As a promotional tool does corporate gifting impact sales? If yes can you give an example?

We would not know, we are in advertising

5. What are the type of gifts you would normally receive? Which one has been your favorite?

Calendars,Planners.
Fav: ICICI Prudential Planner

6. What are the occasions on which you gift your clients? And what is the gift?

New years: Calenders, folders

7. Do you read blogs or go use Social networks like Orkut? Which one?

adfreak and northpodium
social network: facebook

8. Do you know that Giftex has Corporate Gifting Blog which talks about latest gifting trends in India? (Blog.giftex.in)

Yes I do. Infact I also attend thier exhibition at Nehru Science Centre to see the trends first hand.

Thank you Yash for giving us your views on corporate gifting with a marketers perspective. We are glad to hear from you.

If any other marketers/companies/sales people wish to tell us their views on corporate gifting, you can contact us by leaving your email ID and comments below.

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Following are some key things to keep in mind when giving a gift in Japan: 

It’s a goof-up to give the same type of gift to two or more Japanese people of unequal rank. They will also feel offended if you give a gift to one person, but fail in your gesture toward others also present in that group.

Gifts are better not to be opened in public. This is advisable because if it turns to be a poor choice, it will cause ‘loss of face’. Also, if several gifts are given to people of different rank, opening them away from public glare prevents possible comparisons.

Ensure that your gifts are wrapped properly. It’s safest to leave this task to a professional gift-wrapping service. The appropriate gift-wrapping choices are pastel-colored papers, without bows. Avoid brightly covered wrapping papers or bows.

If invited to a Japanese home, take flowers (an uneven number), candy cakes. Gifts in pairs are considered lucky.

If you get a gift, make sure to reciprocate. On your part, before accepting a gift, modestly refuse at least once or twice before accepting it.

Appreciated Gifts

• Prestigious international branded items like imported scotch, bourbon, cognac brandy or fine wines.
• Gourmet foodstuffs, fresh fruit, frozen steaks
• Electronic toys (if children are there on your gift-list)
• Cufflinks
• Pen & pencil sets 
• A nice commemorative photograph (one taken from a gathering attended by that the recipient.) 

Gifts to Avoid

• Lilies, lotus blossoms, and camellias that are associated with funerals.
• White flowers of any kind.
• Potted plants (They are believed to breed sickness.)
• Giving four or nine quantity of anything is considered unlucky.
• Red Christmas cards (funeral notices are customarily printed in this color.)

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Gift-giving is a key aspect of Japanese business protocol. Gifts are exchanged among colleagues on January 1 and July 15 to commemorate the year’s end and midyear respectively. 

The business culture of Japan lays emphasis on the ritual of gift-giving. It’s a good policy to carry an assortment of gifts. Thus, if you’re unexpectedly presented with a gift, you will be ready to reciprocate. Otherwise, the best time to give a gift is toward the end of your visit. 

In Japan, you may get a gift which appears modest, or perhaps, extravagant, but you will receive it for sure! The act or gesture is important than the gift; the objective matters more than the object itself. 

An expensive gift will not be considered as a bribe in the country. However, avoid giving one early in a business relationship or at any conspicuous moment.

A wrapped gift is usually carried inside a shopping bag to avoid ostentation and minimize show-off.

A gift for an individual should be presented in private. You should discreetly approach the person whom you wish to present the gift. If you are offering gifts to a group of people, ensure that all the recipients are together. Present the gift with both hands.

There’s a curious customary to term the gift you are presenting ‘tsumaranai mon (a dull or uninteresting thing”). This is meant to convey, “Our relationship matters more than this trivial offering.”

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Hello Readers,

Today, we are glad to bring you an interview with Nitika Kariwala, Content developer, Corporate trainer - Centre for Personal and Professional Excellence to state the marketers point of view with regards to corporate gifting. Marketers of corporate gifts have to make a choice. They have to make a decision about what gift should be delivered to whom and when. They are the one’s who facilitate the happenings within the corporate gifting world. And certainly..

It is important for marketers of corporate gifting to know what other marketers think, why and how? Here’s a little questionnaire that gives a brief about a corporate gifting marketers viewpoint.

Questionnaire For Marketers

1. Does Your Company do Corporate Gifting?
Yes

2. How much on an approximate basis does your company spend on corporate gifting?
30000- 50000

3. What is the most unique gift that you have come across?
A Bonsai plant.

4. As a promotional tool does corporate gifting impact sales? If yes can you give an example?

Well sometimes it does. If the gifts are radical like a plant which people keep on their desk it makes sure that  we are always on their mind. Even after years when u see them with the plant it gives immense satisfaction.

5. What are the type of gifts you would normally receive? Which one has been your favorite?

Well I have received small clocks with company logos, planner diaries with my name printed, a nicely packaged box of spices and honey etc… My favourite has been a  personalised qoute book.

6. What are the occasions on which you gift your clients? And what is the gift?

Diwali and New years. Mostly they have been honeyed dry fruits packed in nice boxes which can later be used for keeping knick  knacks.

7. Do you read blogs or go use Social networks like Orkut? Which one?

Well, yes I do. Social networking sites are Orkut and Facebook.

8. Do you know that Giftex has Corporate Gifting Blog which talks about latest gifting trends in India? (Blog.giftex.in)

yes, I do.

9. Now that you know, would you visit the blog?

Oh yes, I have already visited the blog. It has some good information.

Thank you Nitika for giving us your views on corporate gifting with a marketers perspective. We are glad to hear from you.

If any other marketers/companies/sales people wish to tell us their views on corporate gifting, you can contact us by leaving your email ID and comments below.

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Gone are the days when the employer could afford to take his employees for granted. A decent salary is passé and the Diwali bonus is their God-given right – you have to do more when you want to make your team feel special. Here are some tips on how you can notch up the office atmosphere from good to great and create greater goodwill amongst your team members:

The Mumbai air is still nippy so bring out that picnic hamper. The best solution is to get a huge one – and we mean a really huge one – and fill it to the brim with cold cuts, cold drinks, juice, sandwiches, and whatever else your team would go for. Make sure the food is non-messy, from the best brands and conveniently packaged. But be sure to select a small gift to give to all of them at the end of it. Perhaps Chinese feng shui coins or a unisex watch – something small and inexpensive. Make it more fun by throwing miscellaneous small gifts into a basket and asking them to take a lucky dip.

Just sealed a deal? Don’t forget your team – they are the ones who worked alongside you. Treat them! Scarves for the ladies, belts for the gentlemen. Buying each a different gift makes them realize that you put invested time and effort into making them feel special.

It pays to remember your employees’ birthdays. Have your secretary draw up a list of staff birthdays and keep the gifts ready.

You can also keep gifts and cards handy by stocking up on them. Belts, watches, scarves, desk clocks, pens, fancy folders and basic cards like happy birthday, congratulations and happy anniversary. If you keep a small fridge you can even stock up on health drinks like aloe vera juice and make an evening ritual of it with your team.

There are many imaginative ways to maintain an emotional bond with your employees. Figure out what works best for you and watch them become your loyalists for life, even if they have to move on!

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In ‘America’s Sweetheart’, Billy Crystal’s character, super-publicist Lee dishes out pearls of wisdom on promotional strategies to his underling. One of them is this:

“Survival Rule no. 3, kid, you’re not here to love anybody, you’re here to promote a movie, that’s it – period. Say you’re here and you got word that your mother died, got hit by a bus or something. You go downstairs, shed a tear and say…It’s a shame, she would’ve loved this movie.”

And that’s how the cookie crumbles. Everything is about promotion and everybody wins in the game. The magazine editor wins with baskets of freebies, the movie producer wins with free merchandise that makes his characters look hip and the company wins with rising sales figures. It all began rather innocuously some time ago but burst in everybody’s face with Dil Chahta Hai where an MRF tyre was shot at close range from a stylish angle. Quite an ad.

Today it is all about selling the product, and boy does bollywood sell! Think ‘Bunty aur Babli’ when Rani Mukherjee’s patiala salwaars made sales shoot up. So clothing brands immediately latched on to what they rightly saw as a great promotional strategy. If Farah Khan wanted to sell Om Shanti Om, Shopper’s Stop wanted to sell its clothes; the two teamed up and the clothing brand stocked the movie’s clothing line, which ignited the 70s craze in Indian fashion. Kareena has donned a new look altogether for Globus and is all set to launch her own line of clothing through the company.

Today brands are in on the PR formula. Widespread advertisement through films (for a price of course) and goodwill promotion through corporate events is the best deal a brand can strike up, and the best way a corporation can reach out for mass appeal. It’s not for nothing that ABN Amro teamed up with fashion’s enfant terrible to design credit cards! Notepads do the best business for one is always needed at PR events to give to journalists. On a more strategic note, companies would do well to tie up with brands for their promotional schemes. Say, the editor of a new fashion magazine can easily rope in any company she wants for her launch party where several celebrities and socialites will be given gift baskets. Once the celebrity falls in love with the product she will definitely visit the store for more.

This is any company’s best bargaining tool. Whether it is a watch or a tyre or a shoe or a dupatta, the gifting strategy has more lanes and bylanes than the New York gridline and at the end of it all, everyone’s a winner.

Tags: Business Gifting
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