Your humble Spy is already in holiday mode and wondering what delightful gifts Santa will put under the tree this year – if any! Over several glasses of mulled wine (and more than a few mince pies) Spy’s thoughts have turned to the give-aways and other premiums handed out at FSA’s numerous events throughout 2018, when the industry plays Santa all year round.
A few perennial favourites have cropped up: notebooks, travel adaptors and, of course, branded pens. Not exactly much to get the reindeers or elves excited about. Spy thinks marketing departments are spot-on to provide fluffy toys or cars for the kids, and there were a few of those – “Get ‘em young” is the rallying cry.
Spy’s heart, which increasingly beats to an ESG drum, does ponder, with a touch of despair, at all the cheap throw-away plastics being dolled out. In the myriad of goodies, therefore, he tips his hat to BNP Paribas AM and M&G for their thoughtful, environmentally-reusable straws, bio-degradable utility bags a few more.