In this episode of Demand Gen Studio, we sat down with Kris Rudeegraap, CEO of Sendoso, about the role of gifting in demand generation. Sendoso is an AI-Enhanced gifting and direct mail automation platform founded to automate corporate gifting and direct mail.
We discussed the importance of personalizing gifts to create meaningful impressions, and how gifting can complement digital marketing strategies. Kris shares his insights on cost considerations, the effectiveness of combining channels, and actionable strategies for implementing gifting in marketing and sales efforts. We hope you enjoy!
Watch on Spotify
Watch on YouTube
Gifting in Demand Generation
Gifting is a demand generation strategy that can be used to help businesses stand out in an increasingly crowded market. Thoughtful, personalized gifts not only capture attention but also create a memorable brand experience that fosters more personal connections with prospects.
By appealing to emotions and building trust, gifting can accelerate the buyer's journey, opening doors for meaningful conversations and increasing response rates.
Pairing gifting with data insights—such as prospect interests or engagement signals—ensures the approach is strategic, timely, and impactful.
As part of an integrated demand generation strategy, gifting can be the differentiator that sets a brand apart, driving both immediate results and long-term loyalty.
The Birth of Sendoso and Its Mission
Sendoso was born out of Kris Rudeegraap’s firsthand experience in sales, where he faced declining email response rates and needed a more effective way to capture prospects' attention.
Manually handwriting notes worked well but proved inefficient and time-consuming. Recognizing a gap, Kris envisioned a solution that automated corporate gifting and integrated seamlessly with existing sales and marketing tech stacks. In 2016, he founded Sendoso, a corporate gifting and direct mail platform designed to drive pipeline, boost revenue, and enhance win rates.
Sendoso helps teams create memorable, human connections at scale by making it as easy to send personalized, physical gifts as it is to send emails.
The Role of Gifting in Brand Awareness
Gifting plays a unique and powerful role in building brand awareness by delivering high-quality, memorable impressions that digital channels often fail to achieve.
Unlike ads or emails that are easily ignored and quickly forgotten, a well-chosen gift creates a lasting impact—whether it’s sitting on a prospect’s desk, sparking social media posts, or generating word-of-mouth referrals.
Kris highlights that gifting is inherently personal, allowing brands to stand out in a crowded digital market. This tangible connection reinforces brand recall over time, as recipients are reminded of the brand each time they interact with the gift.
While harder to execute than digital campaigns, gifting’s limited saturation and emotional impact makes it stand out in a multi-channel marketing strategy. By integrating gifting alongside digital efforts, brands can maximize awareness, engagement, and long-term value.
Combining Digital and Physical Marketing Strategies
Combining physical and digital marketing strategies creates a powerful multiplier effect, where the impact of each channel is amplified when used together.
Kris explains that marketers should embrace a comprehensive, multi-channel approach to reach buyers wherever they are, as no single channel can guarantee success.
For example, a prospect might ignore an email but respond to a personalized gift or recall a brand after seeing an ad days later. Physical channels like gifting and direct mail may seem costly compared to digital, but their higher quality impressions often lead to faster conversions and greater pipeline revenue.
Kris emphasizes that marketers should look beyond immediate expenses and consider both ROI and time saved in a shorter sales cycle. A truly effective strategy blends the strengths of digital efficiency with the memorable impact of physical outreach.
Cost Considerations in Gifting Strategies
When considering the cost of gifting in B2B marketing, Kris emphasizes that it isn't about how much you spend but the thoughtfulness and personalization of the gift that counts.
While high-value deals often justify higher-cost gifts, even small, personalized gestures can break through the noise and drive engagement.
With advancements in technology and creative personalization, gifting can be effective at all deal sizes. A small budget can still make a big impact when the gift resonates with its recipient.
Actionable Insights for Implementing Gifting
“Look at the leaky buckets and figure out how do you patch those with gifting so that you can improve your win weights, improve your churn, improve your second call rates.”
If you are looking to add gifting to your strategy, Kris recommends to first identify the "leaky buckets" in your business—whether it’s top-of-funnel engagement, low show rates for meetings, or customer churn—and strategically apply gifting to patch these gaps.
He recommends starting where your biggest pain points lie, such as grabbing attention in meetings or improving onboarding experiences with thoughtful gifts. Focus on personalization, timing, and alignment with your campaign goals.
Tools like Sendoso leverage AI and CRM integrations to simplify gift selection, message personalization, and workflow orchestration, ensuring that gifting complements your existing tech stack.
By automating these processes, marketers can scale gifting effectively without adding complexity, making it an actionable and impactful channel across marketing, sales, and customer success efforts.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about Sendoso and how to add gifting to your marketing strategy!
Interested in learning more? Check out the rest of the episodes of Demand Gen Studio! We discuss marketing and demand generation topics, with inspiring interviews with thought leaders. See you next time!
The Future of Demand Generation and B2B Marketing with Joseph Poschel
The Power of Brand Positioning for Building Demand with Jon Itkin
