A gift ever so slightly ahead of its time.

December 15, 2011 9:43 AM

Our corporate gifts this year are kind of new and unique, but now I'm concerned that some of the recipients won't understand what they are or how they work. How can I best explain it in a short included message, without being off-putting to the ones who have seen them before and know exactly what they are?

For this year's corporate holiday gifts, I decided to get our customers credit-card size aluminum alloy flash drives (laser-etched with our logo). They're pretty awesome.

I'll be sending them out in the next day or two, but based on the reaction of customers who we've handed them out to in person, they might require some explanation because the shape might be unfamiliar to some of the recipients. All of the recipients will have seen stick-shaped flash drives, but not all will have seen them in this form yet as they're still (kind of sort of relatively) new. This morning I needed to tell one customer what it was and show him how to flip out the USB part to use it.

So far everyone has expressed that as gifts they are really unique/useful/cool-looking, but I think I should print out a small explanation of what they are and how they work for the ones that are being mailed/not being handed out in person-- I'll design it with our logo and cut the message out so it fits right in the tin. They're not much good as gifts if they can't be appreciated and used.

There will be some customers who understand immediately what they are and how to use them, so I don't want the message to be condescending, but I'm not sure how to craft it to strike the right tone with both the people who get it and with those who don't understand right away.

I know how to write a short explanation of how they work, but my certification in technical writing can't help me with the tone of the message-- can you?

posted by mireille to Technology (18 answers total)

I think a graphic showing basically what you linked to with the title "It's a usb drive!" would do it.

Put it inside the case. (It is a case, right?)

The way instructions would be inside the case.

If you don't have a graphics person --use the photos in the link.

Have an intern stuff the cases.
posted by vitabellosi at 9:51 AM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Pictures speak a thousand works. A small 'instruction' drawing showing how it flips out would seem to be enough.
posted by rich at 9:52 AM on December 15, 2011

Put a post-it note with an arrow on it. Say 'put me in your computer! It's a USB flash drive'.
posted by chrisinseoul at 9:52 AM on December 15, 2011

Best answer: Yeah, I'd take the image you've got labelled 'Front', replace 'front' with "USB Flash Drive X.0GB" and put that in the tin. There's seriously not anything else anyone's going to need.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:55 AM on December 15, 2011 [5 favorites]

Best answer: ps: the vendor should've provided the insert.

pps: it IS awesome
posted by vitabellosi at 9:56 AM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

How silly do you feel? You could compose some stupid little poem to go with the gift that spells out what it is. The people who already know will think you're just trying to be funny and the ones who don't know what it is will get the help they need.

"You've given us so many good "Memory"s this year we now have the "Drive" to take your business further." (Okay, that's really pathetic. Hopefully you get what I mean.)
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:59 AM on December 15, 2011 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Yeah, I'd take the image you've got labelled 'Front', replace 'front' with "USB Flash Drive X.0GB" and put that in the tin.

This is good, and so simple that anyone who doesn't need the instructions will just read it as being about the storage capacity.
posted by carbide at 10:07 AM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I think the knowledge will travel from one employee to another so you don't have to do anything. They'll figure it out.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 10:09 AM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I understand your concern about tone. As someone who often has to write the email explaining the document I'm sending to a higher level executive who wasn't previously involved in the project, I am constantly worried that I'm saying with my tone "Here's how to read, dummy." I imagine if I had to communicate with external customers in a similar way, I'd freeze up.

But I think in the case of directions, you don't need to worry too much about the tone seeming...well, instructional. Directions are supposed to be written for the dumbest person who might need them. And everyone who doesn't need them just assumes that's someone else.

(It is a very cool gift -- I think that's what people will be most focused on.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:11 AM on December 15, 2011

Just say "it's a usb drive" (or similar). and Include a link to some instructions on your website too:

http://www.yourwebsite.com/howitworks2011

maybe. It can just be a page that shows the picture.
posted by backwards guitar at 10:25 AM on December 15, 2011

What about a note saying "We hope you enjoy this USB drive!" More subtle. That, plus the picture you link to show how it opens (maybe without the label on the top), should work.
posted by pemberkins at 11:03 AM on December 15, 2011

You are planning on including some sort of card or holiday greeting, right? I can't imagine anyone taking offense at "Happy holidays from BigCorp. We've enjoyed working with you this year and hope you enjoy the enclosed USB drive--conveniently sized to slip into your wallet! Best wishes for an enjoyable 2012."

Instructions also being good, of course.
posted by iminurmefi at 11:26 AM on December 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

"There will be some customers who understand immediately what they are and how to use them, so I don't want the message to be condescending"

Those people never read directions anyway. Write it out for the ones who won't understand. Keep it simple and include a number for the really clueless to call for help.

Or-
"Happy Holidays from US! What is this little thing? Here is a hint: If you flip it open like so, you will figure it out in a flash. We here at US admire your dedication and drive to achieve great things. Please call if you have any questions."
posted by myselfasme at 11:33 AM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

OK, that is wicked cool! I wish I were one of your customers ... :)

Definitely a picture rather than a long-worded instruction. Stick it inside the case ...
posted by mccxxiii at 2:00 PM on December 15, 2011

Response by poster: Thank you so much, everyone! I don't know why I thought it should be words, but easy graphic images (like IKEA instructions) seem like the way to go. vitabellosi saying that the manufacturer should have put them in made me realize that I could just make some that looked like they'd done so, and then it wouldn't reflect upon me at all. I used a little bit from what many of you said and came up with this (using my mad Illustrator skills, don't be jealous), which I can print out small, then fold and put behind the card drives so that they're not visible when they first open them, but so they'll be right there when they take them out of the foam holders inside the presentation tin. Then the ones who need it will use it, and the ones who won't can simply toss it!

If anyone has thoughts or constructive criticism on the image I linked to, I'm open to it for sure.
posted by mireille at 2:38 PM on December 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

That looks awesome. Now I want one :]
posted by fiercecupcake at 4:29 PM on December 15, 2011

Great graphic. I want one too.
posted by Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons at 6:00 PM on December 15, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks! I was pretty damn proud of myself for choosing them. We deal in metals and they fit our image for so many reasons. If anyone wants to know where I got them, MeMail me-- the entire purchase process was one of my top five all-time best customer service experiences.
posted by mireille at 7:16 AM on December 16, 2011