There’s a delicate art to the PR gift.
Too expensive and it looks like a bribe.
Too cheap and it hurts rather than helps the brand.
Too generic and it doesn’t cut through.
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The ones that work best tend to be personalised in some way.
The ones that work worst are those that do the opposite, or suggest that the sender is entirely unfamiliar with the target.
I would suggest that the World Cup package I’ve just received from Akamai falls firmly into that latter category.
I’ve just been lucky enough to receive a Socceroos scarf, a green and gold Starbucks card (with an inderterminate value on it), some green and gold Berocca tablets, a Socceroos hat, green and gold yoghurt Seasame Snaps (yes, really) and a green and gold carton of banana juice.
Thanks, Akamai (whoever you are).
Just one small detail… if your PR people had ever listened to one of our podcasts, or indeed bi-weekly videos, you might have detected one small hint fron that subtle accent of mine.
Without wanting to sound entirely ungrateful… I’ll be cheering England.
Tim Burrowes