2020 Holiday Gifting Highlights

Customized wireless earbuds…smart speakers…UV smartphone sanitizers… wireless phone chargers…

Personalized insert tags with thoughtful messages from company leadership…

Individual shipping of gifts directly to recipient’s doorsteps…

 

These are just some of the creative and thoughtful gifting projects we worked on over the holiday season. We continue to be inspired by our clients.

Click on the video below to see a few highlights from our 2020 holiday gifting season.

For more on our Corporate Gifting program, visit www.fusionofideas.com/gifting.

AirPods Dominate the 2019 Holiday Season

There’s no doubt that Apple AirPods, along with the new AirPods Pro, which launched in October 2019, continue to dominate in the tech gifts category over the 2019 corporate gifting season.

Even with the product shortage that consumers experienced this past holiday season, we helped countless businesses customize Apple AirPods and AirPods Pros for gifting opportunities. 

Our proprietary UV proprietary printing process allows for high-quality, full-color graphics to be permanently bonded onto devices. Because it is a direct print, the artwork won’t peel, flake or fade. Additionally, many clients also leveraged using custom device sleeves and gift wrap to create a memorable unboxing experience.

Check out a few highlights from FUSION OF IDEAS’ 2019 corporate gifting program:

Why Corporate Gifts Are Important for Your Business

Gift-giving is an important part of the human experience. The act of giving helps define our relationships, strengthens our bonds and reinforces our feelings toward the recipient. 

When it comes to giving business gifts, the results are the same: it builds and strengthens relationships with your employees, customers and vendors. It’s a way to recognize an employee who has met or exceeded his or her sales goal; thank a customer who has supported your business year-round; and show appreciation to a stakeholder who has invested in your company.

Recognize Employees

The holiday season is a great time to show your employees that they are an important asset to your business and recognize individuals who have achieved goals or milestones. 

Studies reveal that 79 percent of people who quit their jobs cite ‘lack of appreciation’ as their reason for leaving. And a startling 65 of Americans in the workforce report that they weren’t recognized even once last year.

Feeling appreciated or being recognized has been proven to change an employee’s mentality from “My efforts will get me by,” to “I’m dedicated, committed and motivated to do my best at my job.”

It’s also important to remember that recognizing employees should be an ongoing effort and not limited only to the holiday season. Also, there are many ways for an employer to use corporate gifting to build up, fuel and recognize employees. 

Show your employees your appreciation with a gift that they can use year-round.
Show your employees your appreciation with a gift that they can use year-round.

Thank Customers

Showing customers your appreciation can greatly influence their loyalty and advocacy, which in turn leads to customer retention and increased sales. Keeping your customers happy is about making them feel like you care about them, valued and appreciated.

This is the foundation of a customer appreciation strategy.

While there are many ways to show appreciation to customers, corporate gifting is easy to implement as part of your customer appreciation strategy. If you take care of your customers, they will take care of your business. 

Here are a few other ways to thank customers:

  • Offer a loyalty program with tiered rewards 
  • Make a donation in their honor
  • Treat customers to a complimentary upgrade
  • Send a handwritten note.
A meaningful gift for your customers goes a long way.
A meaningful gift for your customers goes a long way.

The Power of Personalization

In today’s world, where the prevalence of personalization is so prominent in our daily lives, personalization should also play a part in a company’s corporate gifting strategy. One of the most popular ways to personalize, or customize, a gift is by adding your company logo or brand on the gifting product.

A business gift customized with your company logo can benefit both your employees and customers. Because your employees have a stronger emotional connection to your company and brand as they are a part of the daily business, branded gifts offer meaning and significance to your workforce. 

For your customers, when a business gift that has value and use (versus a generic item) and it includes branding, nearly nine out of 10 recipients are able to remember the branding eight in 10 can recall messaging from at least one branded product they received (Source: Promotional Products Association International).

It is important to remember that a corporate gift should be carefully thought through. After all, it is an investment the company is making towards strengthening its relationship with clients, employees, investors and partners. When emotions are at the heart of the relationships between brands and consumers, they steer conscious decisions and drive unconscious decisions. 

Need more ideas? Visit the FUSION OF IDEAS Corporate Gifting site.

Our Favorite Tech Gift Ideas for the 2019 Holiday Season

You don’t have to be a “techie” or even a gadget lover to appreciate a new tech device. From Bluetooth speakers to wireless chargers, mobile technology is all around us.

With the rising trend of companies giving corporate gifts, technology has become a popular gift category for businesses. Giving a tech gift can also show that your company is modern and forward-thinking. 

We rounded our favorite tech gift ideas this holiday season:

  • Wireless Earbuds – Ultracompact and lightweight, wireless earbuds offer features such as noise-cancellation and a customizable fit. Wireless earbuds options are abundant, including Apple AirPods and the new AirPods Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds, Powerbeats Pro by Beats by Dre and the new Amazon Echo Buds.
Wireless earbuds topped the list for the most popular business gift in 2018. Seen here is a pair of customized Powerbeats Pro by Beats by Dre.
Wireless earbuds topped the list for the most popular business gift in 2018. Seen here is a pair of customized Powerbeats Pro by Beats by Dre.
  • Smart Speakers – A starting device or a complement to a complete smart home system, smart speakers or smart assistants like Amazon Echo or Google Home help you around the house, offers entertainment and more, all through voice commands.
A smart speaker like Google Home Mini are ideal gifts for customers, employees as well as shareholders.
A smart speaker like Google Home Mini is an ideal gift for customers, employees as well as shareholders.
  • Portable and Wireless Chargers – A practical gift option, mobile chargers are versatile for all types of technology. Popular wireless charger options include Belkin and Samsung and there are portable charger options from Mophie and Nimble.
Wireless and portable chargers are practical and versatile. Add your company logo for a lasting impression year-round.
Wireless and portable chargers are practical and versatile. Add your company logo for a lasting impression year-round.

Complete the brand experience with personalization. Adding the recipient’s name or using customized packaging with your company logo can make a lasting impression. For more corporate gifting ideas, visit www.fusionofideas.com/gifting.

A Customized Experience in NYC: 53rd Annual International Achievement Summit

More than 80 aspiring young scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs and public servants recently gathered in New York City to meet with some of the world’s most outstanding leaders in the arts, sciences, business and public service.

The program, 53rd Annual International Achievement Summit, hosted by the American Academy of Achievement, welcomed recipients of the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize, Justices of the United States Supreme Court, and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Guests at the 53rd International Achievement Summit. Photo source: American Academy of Achievement
Guests at the 53rd International Achievement Summit. Photo source: American Academy of Achievement

The highlight of the program was the Banquet of the Golden Plate where 34 guests of honor were inducted into the Academy and presented with the Golden Plate Award.

Some of this year’s guests of honor included: Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Leymah Gbowee and Nadia Murad; American blues guitarist and singer, Buddy Guy; Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Brett M. Kavanaugh; The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey; musical theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber; and designer Thomas Heatherwick.

Attendees at the event used iPads that contained preloaded content, including an app that directs the guest to the event’s agenda, as well as iBooks and podcasts created by the Academy. Each tablet was protected by a smart cover printed with a custom design artwork for the event. All of these services, including the kitting of the iPad packages, were serviced by FUSION OF IDEAS.

“We plan all year for our International Achievement Summit and it’s important that we create the best experience for our guests,” said Ethel Terrado-Lowe, Academy of Achievement Director of New Media and Design. “The FUSION OF IDEAS team understood our mission and were not just order takers, they were partners with us in creating a complete brand experience for our program guests. The team was timely, responsive and knowledgeable, which made working with them a seamless experience.” 

The American Academy of Achievement is a nonprofit organization that brings together the most accomplished people from diverse fields around the world to encourage and inspire the next generation. The organization was founded by Brian Blaine Reynolds, a photographer known for his contributions to Life magazine and Sports Illustrated, in order to bring aspiring young people together with preeminent achievers, who excel in their chosen professions.

Attendees used iPads with a custom-printed smart cover. Inside the iPad, there was a preloaded app directed the guest to the event’s agenda.
Attendees used iPads with a custom-printed smart cover. Inside the iPad, there was a preloaded app directed the guest to the event’s agenda.
Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, addresses Academy delegates and members at the Summit. Photo credit: American Academy of Achievement.
Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, addresses Academy delegates and members at the Summit. Photo credit: American Academy of Achievement.
Some of the guests of honor at the Summit included: Anthony M. Kennedy, retired Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and Steven Tyler, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer and songwriter. Photo credit: American Academy of Achievement
Some of the guests of honor at the Summit included: Anthony M. Kennedy, retired Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and Steven Tyler, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer and songwriter. Photo credit: American Academy of Achievement