Winter Trends for Corporate Gifts

It may seem like you have heard this from your grandmother, but do cover up your head during winter. This tip and other winter habits in this article can enhance your gift purchasing decisions as well as surprisingly the health and well being of staff and clients. Most of Your Heat Loss is through Your Head. A surprising truth is that we loose a lot of heat from our heads. Now you are probably thinking, “But my head does not get cold.” That is true, but it is because the body knows that the brain is a vital organ, so it will redirect heat to the vital organs. That means stealing the heat away from less vital body parts like your fingers or toes. I do not know about you, but when I am cold, I find it very difficult to concentrate. So for winter, getting staff or clients beanies is a great gifting idea. Especially if you have staff who work in a warehousing facility. Warehouses are notoriously cold. Beanie, scarf and glove sets are a low cost gift or uniform item, but very well received from your warehousing or factory staff. If clients do not like to have your brand plaster all over the front of the beanie, then insert a side winder (a label sewn into the seam of a garment) into the beanie. Layering for winter. Depending on where you live in South Africa, you can still get some great sunny winter days. Getting dressed in the mornings is a true test of determination, so you really do need to be very warm when you leave for work. But with aircon in offices or as the day progresses, you may find yourself getting too hot for the gear that you are wearing. That is why layering is a tried and tested method for winter. In South Africa we do not get much snow, so corporate wear does not come designed for glacial type weather as it does in the colder countries. But you still need to keep warm. New versatile 4-in-1 jacket offers four combinations: light weight outer, polar fleece body warmer, water resistant body warmer and combined jacket. Outer jacket features include zip-off hood, Airtex lining, storm flap, zippered outer pockets and inner pocket. The outer jacket is in a water resistant nylon fabric. The reversible body warmer with coated polyester and fleece on the inner. These jackets come in a complimentary feminine fit with contrast panels. Choosing Recognizable Brands. These days there is a trend for clients to go for brands that are recognizable in the retail industry. These are mostly clients who are looking for more expensive items for their high end clients. One of the more popular brands for winter is the First Ascent brand. First Ascent is one of South Africa’s leading outdoor brands. The great thing about this brand is that while there are some firm favorites, they do regular updates to the products like the Ladies Phantom Softshell Jacket. This updated soft-shell fabric offers the best of both hard-shell and fleece in one garment - water repellent enough to protect you from a light downpour. This jacket has a high fleece lined collar for increased protection. Larger Portions Evolution theories have us related to apes. But in winter, I feel that I am related to the bear. I crave carbohydrates, want to sleep later and have noticed that coffee, tea, hot chocolate and soup consumption tends to go up in winter. There is nothing quite like a steaming cup of coffee to wrap your hands around on a cold winter morning. So instead of running to the kitchen every hour, rather go big with jumbo mugs. Jumbo mugs are really big on impact. It is impossible to miss them on a client’s desk, so this is a great winter way to promote your brand. Plus if you are not wearing a beanie, as recommended by grandma, it does help warm up those fingers that are sending their heat to your brain. The Need for More Sunshine While you probably want to hibernate at home and watch endless DVDs, you actually need to get out into the sunshine. This thought may send you into a panic, but there are some critical vitamins that only sunshine can provide. For example Vitamin D. Vitamin D sufficiency, along with diet and exercise, has emerged as arguably one of the most important preventive factors in human health. Hundreds of studies now link vitamin D deficiency with significantly higher rates of many forms of cancer‚ as well as heart disease‚ osteoporosis‚ multiple sclerosis and many other conditions and diseases. A solution is to get out into the heat of the winter day for a lunch time picnic at your local zoo or botanical gardens. In Johannesburg and Cape Town the botanical gardens have wonderful winter concerts when large groups of people enjoy music, good food and company. That is why picnic basket and blanket sales surprisingly increase in winter. So this winter, make purchasing decisions that promote your brand exposure as well as your health, comfort and well being. Belle Regalo – Supplier of Corporate Gifts www.belleregalo.co.za 011 4682954