Stop sending things, and start sharing opportunities

Gift boxes. [Courtesy/GettyImages]

Every year, as the holiday season approaches, corporate Kenya enters a familiar rhythm: race to brand umbrellas, print diaries, assemble fruit baskets, and package wine bottles for distribution. 

Industry estimates indicate that a realistic holiday gifting budget might range from Sh200,000 and go well over Sh5,000,000 depending on company size, number of stakeholders, tiering of recipients and economic context. For decades, this has been a cornerstone of stakeholder relations. But as communication practices evolve, we must confront a simple truth: does this tradition still deliver impact? Increasingly, it does not.