Gifts have been described as “lubricants” for human relation. Since the beginning of time, the act of gift-giving has been an integral part of every civilisation. In the modern commercial world, gifts serve as the public relations gimmicks to foster customer loyalty. Flamingo Gifts Collection Limited, a Hong Kong-based gift designer-manufacturer, is an expert in turning conventional stationery or desktop ornaments into vehicles of good-will to the delight of the giving and the receiving parties.

Established in 1994, Flamingo Gifts Collection has now evolved into a veteran manufacturer of a wide range of gift items, from general stationery to delicate crystal ornaments. At present, the company is operating its main administration and sales office in Hong Kong, and an assembly plant in Shenzhen, China. Apart from being the headquarters, the Hong Kong office also handles short-notice and sometimes small- quantity orders. Tony Wong, executive director of Flamingo Gifts Collection explained, “We have the parts ready in Hong Kong, allowing us to be able to respond to clients’ orders on short notice. Once we have worked out a model design, we can instantly send it to our Shenzhen plant for production. For orders of larger quantities, we are having them worked out entirely in our Shenzhen factory.”

Miss Angela Lau, Flamingo’s managing director, further elaborated, “Gift are effective means to enhance human bond, a tangible way to convey one’s affection towards others. Gifts can bridge the emotional gap between individuals and build loyalty for corporations and brands.”

“In recent years, our ways of doing business have undergone tremendous evolution. Companies today don’t just advertise on such 2D media on paper columns, posters or television and even the Internet. They also carry their messages across in the form of small give-away gifts, like pens or umbrellas. By putting their logos and special messages on these items, the advertisers can in fact gain a lot of free exposure when people use these items, like opening a gift umbrella in the rain with a company logo spreading across the umbrella. In fact, most companies have learnt to hand out small gifts to promote their corporate images or products.”

How to select a right gift for a right occasion? Mr. Lau said that most companies have come down to a few common principles. He explained, “They usually prefer small and cost-effective items, so that people can actually use these items everyday. By doing so, the users will be constantly reminded of the special messages on the small items. Quite naturally, pens are popular gifts since we have to write things down everyday. Other popular corporate gifts include writing pads, cup lids, calculators, balls, mini fans, and even necklaces. Some companies may choose to give away watches as a more pricey choice for more important events. We call these ‘evergreen items’ as they will always stay on the most sought-after list of small gifts.”

On top of the “evergreen” choices, Flamingo Gifts have been diversifying their lines by starting with crystal items years ago to penetrate the higher end of the gift market. Mr. Lau said, “Competition is bloodily fierce for the small gifts market. At present, crystal items account for about 40-50% of our business. Most of our crystal products are now shipped to Europe, with some orders from the Americas.”

In the past, most of the manufacturers specialising in crystal gifts mainly focused on designing and turning out crystal trophies. However, people nowadays are demanding much greater varieties, making the business of crystal ornaments a lot more differentiated than before. Angela Lau explained, “Retailers may specifically require crystallised models and items for window display purposes. Some corporations may even give out crystal models to their customers and local dealers. For example, the Apple Computer Inc. had once presented crystal miniature models of Mac PCs to reward their dealers and customers.”

In order to cope with so many varying demands, Tony Wong emphasises that while customers do provide designs and requirements for their orders, Flamingo has to work out their own designs and styles for customers as alternatives. He said, “Even though OEM production is an integral part of our operation, we still need to build up our own art gallery so that our clients can understand our styles. Experienced buyers will get a basic idea of our products just by reviewing our catalogues and company web site. We need to make sure that what we offer are of high quality to win the trust of our clients.”

To keep abreast of product trend and related technology in the field, Tony Wong never relaxes in updating his knowledge of the gift market. “It is a must for me to constantly look out for the latest trend in the gift market. I visit a lot of gift shows, such as those in Japan, and many others everywhere,” said Mr. Wong.

The European market is now a large part of its business. According to Tony Wong, Europeans traditionally favour crystal products. In fact, countries like Poland and the Czech Republic are the long-time centres of crystal arts in Europe. He further explained, “Europeans are conservative people. Their tastes are still inclined towards the old-fashion side. These make them more susceptible to the charm of crystal ornaments. However, the use of crystal in the European gift market is still quite limited. For example, Italian crafters, who are famous for making the finest trophies, still use mostly metal in doing so. Flamingo has started years ago utilising crystal in making trophies and other valuable desktop ornaments. I am confident that we shall be able to beat the niche market by exploiting such gap.”

Flamingo’s exceptional crystal gifts have been recognised by a very unique client-the Hong Kong SAR Government. According to Tony Wong, the Hong Kong government is in fact ‘big’ customer of Flamingo for all types of badges, gifts and pens, etc. The orders from the Hong Kong government had accounted for 30% of Flamingo’s business volume at one point.

Looking ahead, Tony Wong is eyeing new markets in the Eastern Europe and the US. Through exhibiting at Kenfair’s Poland Asia Expo in June this year, Tony Wong said he had gained a first-hand touch of the East European market. He commented, “The East European economy is definitely in motion. At the fair, we had received enquiries from new buyers coming from as far as Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania, etc, which were way beyond our initial expectation. We are now considering further exploring this emerging market.”

As a gift manufacturer, Flamingo is facing challenges and competition particularly those from mainland China. However, Tony Wong is upbeat about his company’s strength to stay ahead of the rivals. He remarked, “Rather than competing on cost terms, Flamingo will stay afloat with our excellent production and service quality.”

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