How Gifting Marketing Works for Drinks Brands

Gifting marketing is no longer about sending out branded items and hoping for the best. Today, it has evolved into a structured marketing strategy that helps brands build relationships, reinforce positioning, and stay top of mind long after a campaign ends.

When executed well, gifting marketing becomes a powerful extension of your brand. In this article, we’ll explore what gifting marketing really means, why it works, how brands use it effectively, and how a real-world campaign brought this strategy to life.

What Is Gifting Marketing?

Gifting marketing is a strategic approach to marketing through thoughtfully designed and branded gifts that support specific business goals.

Unlike traditional promotional giveaways, gifting marketing is intentional. Every gift is chosen with the recipient, message, and moment in mind. The goal isn’t volume—it’s impact. Whether the objective is strengthening client relationships, appreciating vendors, supporting a product launch, or reactivating key accounts, gifting marketing focuses on relevance and longevity.

In B2B environments, especially, gifting marketing stands out because it creates a physical brand experience. A well-made product used in daily life keeps your brand present in a way emails, ads, and social posts simply can’t.

How Does a Gift Marketing Campaign Drive Sales for Drinks Brands?

1. Build Brand Awareness

Gift marketing campaigns are an innovative strategy that brands can use to attract new customers and increase brand awareness.

By offering gifts to customers, companies can create a lasting impression that resonates with the target audience.

These gifts can be anything from small tokens of appreciation to larger items that are more valuable.

2. Maximise Targeted Marketing

Tailoring your messaging and promotional offers towards a particular group of consumers allows you to create a sense of exclusivity and increase the perceived value of your products.

Consequently, this can increase the relevance and effectiveness of your messaging and drive higher engagement and sales among your target customers.

3. Boost Sales

Customers often feel a sense of satisfaction and happiness when giving gifts to others, and brands can capitalize on this by creating campaigns that emphasize the joy of giving.

By offering incentives and promotions to customers, brands can encourage them to purchase their products either for themselves or as gifts for others.

4. Develop Brand Loyalty

A gift marketing campaign can help drinks brands stand out in a crowded market, as customers are more likely to remember a brand that goes the extra mile to show their appreciation.

It can also create a sense of excitement and anticipation, encouraging customers to look forward to future purchases and interactions with the brand.

5. Tangible Marketing

Tangible marketing allows customers to interact with a brand in a physical way, which can help create a stronger emotional connection to the brand.

Providing customers with a physical object that they can touch, hold, or use helps drinks brands to create a stronger emotional connection with their audience and increase their visibility and reach.

6. Stand Out from Competitors

Gift marketing campaigns can set a drinks brand apart from its competitors by offering unique and compelling gifts or customer incentives.

The right promotional gift can not only encourage initial purchases but also encourage repeat purchases and even advocacy through word-of-mouth recommendations.

What Are the Other Ways to Use Gifting in Your Marketing Strategy?

This offer was available in the Nhà Mình restaurant in Vietnam. Customers had the chance to win any of these limited edition gifts upon purchasing six bottles of Budweiser beer.

Stella Artois’ custom-printed glass is crafted specifically for the holiday season. Though they also offer free glasses in their previous drinks promotion ideas, this exclusive glass is a must-have for the brand’s loyal drinkers.

Case Study: Skinos’ Gifting Marketing Campaign

Our team spotted this promotional gift pack from Skinos. Skinos is a brand that specializes in creating high-quality, all-natural beverages and spirits. Their flagship product is the Skinos Mastiha Spirit, which is made using the resin of the rare Mastiha tree found only on the Greek island of Chios.

This beautifully presented set contains a large bottle of pure Mastiha liqueur. With its distinct and complex flavour profile, mastiha liqueur is a true taste of Greece.

The gift box also includes two original Skinos shot glasses, perfect for sharing a sip of mastiha with a friend. The glasses are sturdy and stylish, with the Skinos logo at the centre.

Common Gifting Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Even well-planned gifting marketing campaigns can underperform if key details are overlooked. The most common mistakes include:

• Treating gifts as generic giveaways rather than as part of a broader marketing strategy

• Over-branding products, which often reduces usability and long-term exposure

• Selecting items without considering the recipient, leading to low engagement or unused gifts

• Neglecting packaging and presentation, which can weaken perceived value

• Underestimating production and delivery timelines, especially for custom products

Avoiding these pitfalls ensures your gifting marketing efforts remain effective, intentional, and capable of delivering long-term brand value.

How Are Other Drinks Brands Integrate Gifting into their Marketing Campaign?

Besides custom glassware, drink brands also leverage other practical merchandise ideas that make their gift packs more enticing to the market. Here’s how Johnnie Walker boosts sales with its complimentary tote bag promotion.

A refreshing take on gift sets, Grey Goose offered custom soda cans instead of drinking glasses on this promotional gift pack. What do you think of this interesting complimentary gift from the brand?

By offering promotional gift packs, brands can create unique experiences for their target audience. Take a look at how Bombay Sapphire stirs the perfect marketing strategy with its edicao especial box set in Brazil.

How do you reward loyal customers? What makes custom merchandise such as a logoed baseball cap an excellent on-pack gift? Read on this blog to find the top factors that made this gift pack from Jim Beam a success.

With cultural relevance at the core of its GWP campaign, 1664 Blanc offered picnic sets as promotional gifts to Vietnamese customers. We love how this gives the brand a fantastic opportunity to raise brand awareness and strengthen customer engagement!

Beluga highlighted its liquor with different luxury packaging and high-quality gift with purchase merchandise unique to the liquor line. Get to more details in the blog below:

How Can ODM Help?

Gifting marketing works best when it is treated as a strategy, not a one-off campaign. When product selection, branding, packaging, and timing align, gifts become effective tools for building relationships, increasing recall, and extending campaign impact.

ODM supports brands across the entire gifting marketing process—from concept to production. We help deliver gift-with-purchase programs, on-pack gifts, and custom promotional kits, supported by packaging design, material selection, quality control, and logistics. This end-to-end approach allows brands to turn gifting into a scalable marketing channel that delivers long-term value.

For brands planning their next gifting marketing campaign, contact ODM to discuss your requirements and receive a detailed quote tailored to your project needs.

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