Magazine: Trendy new gifts and evergreens

The advertising, promotional and business gift industry keeps evolving and innovating, so there is no shortage of new products in the market. Economic recession has consolidated the market and now most of the agencies are reliable and ready to enter strategic cooperation with partners representing a wide range of sectors. Alexandra Kracsó, the owner of Papaya Promotion Kft. thinks the real value is the quality of service, when partners can lay back because they can be sure the gifts will communicate what they have intended to say with the presents. Győző Sauer, the commercial director of Absolut Gift told our magazine that they always offer the gifts which suit a certain occasion the best. They make recommendations to partners on what can be the most efficient gifts in a given situation. Ferenc Keresztesi, the managing director of Present Store talked to us about the importance of stock, quality and deadlines. In his view if there is enough time, any gift idea can be realised. Mr Sauer opines that both gifts and those who give them try to follow the pace of everyday life, therefore Absolut Gift’s experience is that demand is the biggest for those products which are useful and make one’s work easier. The company also believes that personal relationships are very important, together with reliability and fast service – and of course good prices. The majority of Present Store’s products come from 7-8 European countries and from the Far East, but they are trying to purchase more Hungarian-made products, especially in the case of seasonal gifts, e.g. in the Christmas period. Gifts stay trendy for 3-5 years and there are evergreens as well (e.g. umbrella, hat, pen, etc.). Mr Keresztesi told that one of this year’s biggest hits is the power bank – an external battery for mobile phones. Papaya Promotion finds that more and more SMEs start to realise the efficiency of ‘tangible advertisement’. Ms Kracsó believes that this year’s big success will be green promotional gifts, ones with which companies can show their partners and customers that they care about the environment. In their Greenpromo.hu collection they offer a wide range of environmentally friendly, recyclable products. Present Store’s managing director added that it is very important for the gift to make a reference to the company, activity or service in one form or another. Not only the product has to be chosen carefully but also the company that supplies them. They sell 20-forint products but they have recently sold a HUF 1-million customised tent, too. Papaya Promotion is convinced that a creative team can find the best from a thousand gifts – one that communicates a company’s promotional message and image the best. Giving a gift to partners represents prestige and shows that they are important to a company or a brand. In the last few years Absolut Gift saw growing demand for personalised gifts. If they are involved in the process from the moment an idea is conceived, they can present gifts which gets the message through with maximum effect and is ready on time. If only days are available for this, compromises have to be made.