Rachel C. Weingarten muses on Marketing, Manners and Modness

Picture this.  You’re part of your workplace Secret Santa gift exchange and you choose one of your favorite new colleagues and they, you.  You think fondly of the time you spent encouraging the boss to hire this person, and all of your hopes for their speedy ascent up the corporate ladder.

You spend weeks shopping for something appropriate.  Something that conveys your belief in their ability not only to do their job- but the fact that the represent the future of business in general.  Though you work off-site, you head to their branch of the office for le grande gift exchange.  There isn’t much fanfare when you get there and not much enthusiasm when you present your gift either.  In exchange, your former protogé gives you something uninspired, like maybe a $10.00 WalMart gift certificate or five packs of chewing gum.

At least that’s the way I think that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown must have felt last weekend when President Obama gave him 25 “classic” DVDs in exchange for the carefully and impeccably chosen gift of a “pen holder fashioned from the oak timber of HMS Gannet, a Navy vessel that served on anti-slavery missions off Africa.”   Mr. Brown’s symbolic and impressive gifts behooves one head of state showing respect, friendship and admiration to another.  Mr. Obama’s on the other hand, seemed more like a last minute throwaway- and a cheap one to boot.

With all due respect to our faltering economy and the desire not to overspend during lean times, there is a time and place for everything.  If Prime Minister Brown was a known movie buff and the Obamas chose Steven Spielberg to present said DVDs to the P.M. along with a running commentary on his favorites, the gift might have worked.  As it was, it seemed to be a last minute throwaway and a cheap one to boot.

In matters of state as in matters of friendship, business and networking, it’s always a bad idea to neglect important details.  The British press claims that not only were the gifts uninspired, but the slapdash press conference to announce the visit was equally lacking in pomp or protocol.

It’s hard enough to keep close friends in business or politics, much less ones across the pond.  The Obamas screwed up with the uninspired treatment of the Browns, but hopefully will figure out how to strike an appropriate balance between lavish and inappropriate in future dealings with heads of state and their families.

For your own reference, when choosing a gift for a colleague keep these guidelines in mind:

• Price: Is there a price cap on the value of gifts that may be received? To avoid potential conflicts of interest some companies set this as low as $25.00.
• Protocol: Is there a standard gift of choice, venue or method of presentation to be followed?
• Personality: Is the giftee an avid golfer or collector? Choosing something with a personal touch is always more impressive than relying solely on the pricetag.

Mr. Obama, next time you’re stumped for gift ideas, I’d be more than happy to help you and the First Lady out.

Rachel