 |
The Supreme Art of Obliging One simple principle should preside your efforts to use cognac as a gift: do not under-buy and do not over-buy in relation to the person you want to oblige. The thinking behind a present to someone you know to be a cognac aficionado must differ for the one to apply to cognac as corporate gift. If you are buying with a cognac-lover in mind, you should try to find out what kind he likes. Remember also that a connoisseur would perhaps appreciate more a humble but rare VSOP than a run-of-the-mill big name reserve, present in every luxury hotel around the world. The cognac-lover will appreciate your gift above all because it's cognac and shows that you care about her/him. Cognac as a Corporate Gift But a corporation might have a different agenda. Imagine that you decided that next Christmas you want to send a three cognac bottle basket to the members of the board of one of your customers. You'll be, above all, concerned by the image of your company. Cognac, as a corporate present, transmits the idea of success. Even in people who don't drink it, Cognac, like caviar, evokes the idea of luxury, refinement and, laterally, prosperity, expansiveness... An expert in advertising psychology would tell you that giving away cognac will convey a subliminal message that your company is doing very well. That context would suggest to many that the more expensive the cognac, the strongest the message, but that isn't necessarily the case. First of all, cognac, as a corporate present made to someone you don't know if she/he is an non-drinking Mormon or a devout Muslim becomes an statement not to be taken lightly in terms of corporate image. It should thus be included in a wider context: say along a painting or with other expensive groceries or delicatessen, with a set of superbly bindered books... The idea being to dilute potential bias against alcohol and prevent it from damaging your image. On the other hand, you should think about the ones for whom the statement made by cognac is perceived positively. Often they will be bon vivants, with a possibility to develop a sympathetic frame of mind to the gift, an thus to our company. The marketing bet is that bon vivants outnumber puritans, of course. Co-labeling, an interesting alternative If you are to include cognac a collective gift to a certain amount of persons, you should consider the possibility to have the bottles proudly displaying your corporation's logo. The mention to the Cognac House who aged and blended it can be made, indeed, as small as you want. At that point, all said above on corporate image is valid, but then with a few nuances. Co-labeling -which can be interesting for editions of over 40-50 units in most cases- gives a tremendous boost to the self-assertion of your company that is every corporate gift. I mean, the cognac should be good... because in some way co-labeling implies making the name of your corporation into an integrated part of the gift. Co-labeling is playing real hard-ball with cognac.
|
| BACK TO ARTICLES Ask For a Free Quote |