Mrs. Fields Cookies Offers Sweet Spin on Corporate Gifts: Q&A
Nothing says ‘thank you’ like a fresh-baked cookie. That’s part of Mrs. Fields Cookies’ bread and butter, a firm that has been offering a corporate gifting program for employee rewards for the last 13 years. Since 2005, sales have increased about 50%.
Director of Sales Cassie Alvey cites listening to customers, increasing visibility at trade shows and hyping up gifts through word of mouth for the growth. She spoke with Promo P&I about the program.
Promo: How are Mrs. Fields products used to motivate or reward people?
Alvey: The majority of people that use us do it as a thank you or follow-up to a meeting or a preview to a meeting. Or it can be gifting to a group. Birthdays and anniversary programs are something we participate a lot in. A lot of the time, companies will use our brand as motivator.
P: In what ways can the products be customized?
A: We have an in-house print shop that does some silk screening on tins. We have tins that are blank on top and some tins that can be co-branded. We also have an in-house print shop stamp machine for the ribbons. We have ability to do custom ribbon with logos or images. It allows a lot of flexibility of what can be customized. We also have a cookie cake that can be customized with a message.
P: Why are cookies a popular reward?
A: Everyone likes an indulgence. It stands out in your day as something special. There is a sweet treat at the end of the day. It’s that immediate gratification as well. In some programs, you have a trip to Hawaii. Those are awarded on an annual basis. It’s something you work toward. By offering food, it allows you to have something more immediate. It provides that ‘Wow’ factor.
P: What’s new in corporate gifting?
A: Logo cookies. We use a butter-based cookie, a soft cookie and engineer it with rice paper and edible ink. It’s our newest customizable product. It launched last fall in our catalog.
P: Which items drive the largest percentage of sales?
A: Tins and baskets are the most popular no matter what season it is. Tins are collectible. They are a nice presentation. A lot of people identify with that. Our baskets are popular because a lot of people share our products. Baked goods are our focus. Our core line is cookies and brownies, and we also offer mini muffin assortments. We also have other inclusions we use…such as jellybeans and mixed nuts, chocolate covered pretzels and popcorn. It’s not just cookies. But at the same time, you won’t see us expanding into fruit or ham.
P: What’s the No. 1 challenge facing Mrs. Fields Cookie’s corporate gifting program?
A: People think of the brand and immediately go to the store. They don’t realize they can shop our product and have it delivered fresh. They don’t realize we have an online store. We have a lot of capabilities. We just need to get the word out there. We are working with the Advertising Specialty Institute. Through ASI resources, we market products to more than 130,000 distributor salespeople, all of which have access to sell and mention our products/services to their clients and potential clients. That has been a target goal of ours for the past eight years, getting our name out there with some big distributors in the premiums and incentive market.
P: What steps is the company taking to do this?
A: We have increased our focus and also increased the breadth of our corporate clients. We are listening better, and making one-offs more generally available to a broader group. We try to make the process as simple as possible. We also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If people are not satisfied, we do whatever it takes to get it right. We’ll take care of you.
