In our recent blog, we discussed a unique initiative by Hindustan Unilever for all its employees. The company has set certain parameters that are meticulously measured, and a score is given to each employee on a vitality index score card.

The lower is the score, the better is an employee’s vitality;  a score of 0 to 4 puts the employee concerned in the green zone, a score of 5 to 6 slots one in the amber zone and a 7 plus score puts one in the red zone. Each employee is informed about his/her personal vitality score/color zone in a confidential manner.

Such relation building programs are a big boost to the employees’ morale and far more gainful than mere monetary rewards and incentives.  Of course, these measures succeed only if there’s a buy-in at the top! The top management committee ensured this. Another challenge was to create a buzz around the initiative. Mailers and posters like ‘Do you see red every time you see a staircase?’, or ‘Cool as a cucumber about your health? Don’t wait till it becomes red-hot’ were circulated.

In the next stage, employees were prompted to improve their vitality scores by conducting workshops  across the company’s different locations, through events such as Family Day, Walkathons, Vitality Exhibitions, nutritional menu counseling etc. Interactive sessions were held to teach the employees about the concept of BMI, ways of improving lifestyle, healthy diet to avoid/reduce weight gain as well as proper exercises for weight management.

The focus has been on scientific exercise methods, correct practical nutritional advice, and stress management techniques. The aim is to create health awareness so as to attain better fitness levels and enhanced lifestyle patterns. Workshops are conducted on post-retirement health planning for managers. At a basic level, the vitality index project reflects common sense: The healthier your employees, the more likely they’re to be (efficient) at work.

Tags: Cheap corporate gifts, low cost gifts, business gift baskets, Popular corporate gifts, Worst gifts, gifting etiquette, Gifting occasions, business gifting, promotional products, Best corporate gifts

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This post will offer more details on the concept of gold ETF and how this instrument can be an indirect opportunity for buying gold bullion to the person whom you gift it.

Generally, the price of one unit of gold ETF represents roughly one gram of gold. These are passively managed funds hence their NAV will basically track the gold price in the open market.  The holder can buy and sell the units just like one would buy and sell shares.

Despite recent correction after a sustained rally, gold prices are expected to firm up further over the coming few years. This will lead to a corresponding increase in the NAV of gold ETFs. Especially owing to the debasement that many countries are subjecting their respective currencies to, bullion would emerge as a valuable asset.

Investment expert Sandeep Shanbhag noted in a recent article: “In times of turbulence, gold has gained over almost 57% in the last couple of years. The moot question is: does it really make sense to invest in the metal at current levels? Look at gold ETF as an investment essentially as a hedge against inflation and its virtue of negative correlation with other asset classes such as fixed income securities, commodities and stocks during uncertain times.

When markets are erratic and unpredictable, the wise thing to do is just to step up exposure to an asset, which would infuse a semblance of strength and stability to the portfolio. The simplest and probably the most efficient way to do this is investing in a gold ETF.”

However, you should weigh its pros and cons. For example, investors should not look at gold on the basis of returns in a small time frame. Give them a long enough period to multiply your wealth. This won’t happen overnight. Someone looking to give a meaningful gift sure should consider gold ETFs.

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Sports and fashion have an integral link. Young sports fans are equally fashion conscious, and event organizers well know this. In fact, for most popular sports teams globally, the mark-up for high-end memorabilia is well justified by the brand value. It usually works when a team or its star players tend to achieve cult status (just as, say, Liverpool or Manchester United charge hefty premiums for an official embossed T-shirt.

The ongoing IPL cricket tournament is another example of this. The cost price of an IPL T-shirt manufactured in the factories of Tiruppur, Bangalore and Chennai is between 15-20 per cent of the final cost, according to an estimate. Brands such as Puma and Adidas have a fixed cost sharing ratio with the teams. Though the marketers are unwilling to divulge the revenue-sharing arrangement with the cricket or football teams, teams roughly get up to 20 per cent by way of royalty.

Last year, KKR had launched actor and KKR owner Shahrukh ‘Khan’ special jersey with Reebok. It was priced at Rs 1,999, with King Khan’s name on the back. This time - for the second edition of IPL - franchisees have increased the scope of their portfolios to introduce more categories to gain from the IPL fever. The products range from Rs 50 to 2,000 plus.

Most of the IPL teams retail caps, mugs, badges, key chains and flip flops, all of which bear the insignia of all the participating IPL teams. IPL merchandise is slowly becoming a rage as fans are not averse to paying premiums.

The team owners know there are enthusiasts who consider all these items a prized possession than mere another piece of clothing or accessory. As you would read in one of our upcoming posts, sports memorabilia is becoming popular for gifting purpose. Of course, you should be able to get the choice right as each sports fan has different favorite teams or players.

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It’s vacation time; it’s fun time, so Giftex blog is here to make you smile. We present jokes and interesting anecdotes about gifting.

A gift with a DIAMOND in it

John: It was my wife’s birthday, yesterday.

Peter: what was your special gift to her?

John: I just asked her what was it that she wanted?

Peter: And what did she say?

John: anything, she said, as long as there is a DIAMOND in it!

Peter: So, what did you give her?

John: Simple, playing cards!

“Didn’t use the gift, so won’t gift another”

One year, a harried man decided to get his mother-in-law a prime cemetery plot as a Christmas gift, thinking it would send across the message to her. The mother-in-law did not seem to have got the hint.

The frustrated son-in-law did not buy her any gift next year. When the mother-in-law asked him why he din not get her any gift this Christmas, he replied with a frown on his face, “Well, you still have not used the gift that I bought you last year!”

What makes the perfect gift?”

Thanks for that pretty electric guitar that you gave me on my birthday,” little Manjit said to his auntie the first time he saw her after the holidays. “It is the best present that I ahd ever got.”"That’s great, my boy, “said his auntie.  “But do you know how to play it?”

“Oh, I do not play it,” the little boy said. “But my mom gives me a rupee every day not to play it during the day and my dad gives me another rupee not to play it at night. It’s because of you, auntie!”

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Of all the things that are now associated with Easter - jelly beans, Easter bonnets, bunny rabbits, and other tasty treats - the egg is probably the most significant.

It stands for fertility as well as new beginnings, in line with Easter (The resurrection of Christ) Biblical significance.

The festival gets its name from the goddess of Spring and dawn, Eostre, worshipped by pre-Christian Saxons. Her sacred animal was stated to be the hare that explains the Easter bunny’s importance as well.

It’s more of a cultural significance, which has seeped into our lives. People often tend to equate Easter eggs with new life, quite in the same way the Christ rose from the dead for starting a new life.

Easter eggs and sweets have somehow diminished the Easter’s significance, some believe. Easter eggs, the think, are a practice adopted from the West and commercialized, taking away the real meaning and spirit of the occasion.

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Barbie sure is the most famous and treasure doll in the world. The coveted character just turned 50. The whole world including India joined in the frantic celebrations. And the party will go on right through the year.

Psychologists have debated whether Barbie advocated a highly consumerist lifestyle. She has also been blamed for her unnaturally skinny appearance, in comparison to other dolls available in the market. Some may love to hate the dazzling, but the fact is the adorable Barbie is still hugely popular.

The doll was first introduced in 1959. It still remains among the most popular icon of our times. Barbie has been everything - a career woman, a princess, a fashionista a dance diva and all what you can think of it to be. Her creator was Ruth Handler. The co-founder of Mattel wanted her to be essentially the young girl’s best friend. That’s what Barbie has always been!

Love Barbie or hate her, but do gift her. And a beautiful Barbie gift sure will invite a smile and cheer. You can consider Vera Wang’s adorable ‘bridal’ Barbie, in a white gown that comes with a black border, holding red flowers. It costs Rs 8,000 (exclusive of shipping charges).

To commemorate Barbie’s five decades of popularity, Roger Best was asked to design a doll especially for the milestone. Dressed in a pretty evening gown, in scintillating gold with sizzling sequins, a special bracelet and long earnings, she is available for just Rs 2,600. The bracelet is inscribed with “50” to mark the occasion.

It will be about a couple of months before Barbie arrives in India, it might be a wise move for even grown-ups to buy one and keep her in the closet. We tell you why? A mint condition Barbie of 1959 fetched $27,450 at an auction in May 2006. The same year, another Barbie went for £9,000. So, who knows?

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In our last blog we checked in a store, New Delhi’s Play Clan store that offers Artifacts which are politically correct and simultaneously, entertaining and humorous!

For instance, you can get a charming coaster with illustrations of the Goddess Saraswati with a little tale penned at the back. This is a unique branding style that they follow for all their accessories. “We try to weave a story, and then find different platforms for expressing each of them. We carry a small little write-up on each theme at the back of every product,” Himanshu Dogra, the brain behind it, explains.

A bunch of their exclusive products are available at select outlets like Kimaya and Malini Ramani’s Goa store. But this small Delhi space symbolizes the Clan at its best. The way the store has been designed gels with the whole idea behind it. They wanted it to be project as a graphic showcase. The yellow wall and the clones’ illustrations represent common people like us. They have displayed the frames and pillows to create a unique ambience.

It serves as a compact space. The open glass cabinets host smaller things like colorful illustrated journals, badges, coffee mugs and DVD holders. Prices have been kept moderate, which is important from a buyer’s perspective. They start from Rs 260 onwards. The items are indeed affordable for everyone, making them a true value pick for corporate or personal gifting.

Located at the Select City Mall in Saket and spread over mere 250 sq ft, Play Clan is a brainchild of Illum Designs that is branding for the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week 2009.

This is Play Clan’s flagship store. Apart from the one at Select CityWalk, two more are on their way. One has already opened at The Garden of Five Senses. Another one is coming up in Mumbai. According to Himanshu Dogra, the brain behind it, their production is still small-scale. This is because they are keen on maintaining a sense of exclusivity. The idea is to keep each artifact personal.

Tags: Best business gifts, business gift baskets, Gifting occasions, corporate gifts companies, Cheap corporate gifts, low cost gifts, Worst gifts, Popular corporate gifts, Corporate gifting, gifting to clients

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Being eco-friendly and socially conscious is the new trends when it comes to celebrating and gifting.Many websites are thriving on this concept. One of them is GiveIndia that involves a simple procedure for being part of this new movement. Once you are registered with the site, you just need to state the cause you wish to support and the contribution you wish to make. The web link is then promoted. For example a newly married, a member of the site, printed an appeal on their wedding card for donating money instead of showering them with personal lavish gifts.

Many members have been raising funds in this manner through the website. You can pass the link to your colleagues, relatives, friends, and social forums. One of them informs to have collected Rs 60,000 for a social cause. Many see this as a chance to remember their near and dear ones who are no more in this world.

Corporate gifting pattern is changing as well. Corporate entities instead of merely ordering a consignment of cards from NGOs are making a contribution to help NGOs. The Concern India Foundation has a donor match program for both corporate world and individuals who approach them with a pre-set budget and a wish list of the cause they wish to support, and the foundation helps match these requests with the NGO concerned.

Even festive celebrations are turning eco-friendly. Coexist provides an environmentally friendly solutions through a range of eco-sensitive handmade decorations in cloth and hand-made paper.

Bollywood starlet Genelia D’Souza is one celebrity who believes ‘Green Christmas’ is a fantastic idea. She stated: “I think it would be a great idea to try out the eco-friendly material for decorating the tree.” Choreographer Marc Robinson and his wife Waluscha get their decorations and even the tree from New York. and do not buy new stuff every year.

Tags: Corporate gifting, Popular corporate gifts, gifting to clients, Best business gifts, Worst gifts, business gifting, gifting india, Best corporate gifts, gifting etiquette, Business Gifting
Corporate gifting

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Gifts play an important role as they are the easiest way to express your sentiments. The gift should be such that it would make the receive feel special. It becomes even more lavish gesture when it is for high-profile individual from an equally high-profile individual.

Indeed, in case of celebrities, the whole connotation and scale of the gifting exercise changes as we pointed out in the previous blog! Here are more instances from across the globe that indicate what celebrities choose to gift and mark a special occasion.

- In what can be considered as one of the most ‘outrageously’ expensive gestures ever of love, the famed Hollywood Star Tom Cruise gifted his pregnant fiancée Katie Holmes a whopping $20 million Gulf Stream Jet as a present.

- Davaid Beckham, the England soccer star whom we have already mentioned, reportedly gifted Victoria a mere $8 million (going by Tom Cruise’s standard) Bulgari necklace on her birthday. He also reportedly spent $10,000 to fly out a team of chefs from London’s trendy restaurant Nobu to cook delicacies for her in Spain.

- Actor Richard Burton bought a diamond weighing 240.80 carats to gift it to Elizabeth Taylor. Following her divorce, she put one of the world’s largest diamonds up for sale for raising funds for a hospital.

- Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt gifted actress-wife Anjelina Jolie a gold ring that featured the birthstones of their (four) kids. (Incidentally, Angelina Jolie recently spent $65,000 to gift herself a horsehair mattress that would help her sleep well.

- Shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis presented his wife Jacqueline Kennedy her very own private Island in Greece.

On your part, you can let us know about the best gift that you have ever received or given. And also let us know why do you think it was the best?

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In the previous blog, we checked a few possibilties of shopping for tourists in Mumbai. Moving away from Mumbai, Maharashtra has many tourists spots each famous for its special offerings to tourists and shoppers. Aurangbad is a region rich in the art & culture. It has a legacy of fantastic handicrafts. The legendary beauty of pretty Paithani silk saris, the intricate silver inlay craft of Bidri, and the deftly woven silk Himru, Mushru shawls cast their spell on visitors.

Nashik: Since a large number of visitors come here to see the famous religious sites, there are several shops that are geared to meet their demands. You can get some lovely little brass statues and beautiful beaded necklaces. Nashik is well known for its jewelry. The holy city will provide some good memorabilia for the religiously inclined.

Kolhapur: The destination is famous for its textiles, in particular Kolhapuri saris. It is, of course, most famous for its jewelry and leather sandals (popularly known as Kolhapuri chappals). They are an exquisite piece of craftsmanship. The jewelry here is dazzling. It is beautifully crafted and comes with delicate embossing. Mahadwar and Shivaji Roads are good areas to shop. You can get a good variety of Kolhapuri chappals on Bhausinji Road. 

Pune: A visit to Pune will be incomplete if you do not go to Laxmi Road, the heart of Pune, as attested by the crowds and the constant hustle and bustle here. The countless narrow streets that crisscross it offer a wonderful shopping opportunity. It is literally lined with a variety of shops on both sides. Mahatma Gandhi Road (or M G Road) is also perfect for leisurely shopping. An evening is well spent here! 

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