Medtronic Case Study
Medtronic, one of the largest medical device companies in the world, has operations across 150 countries developing medical technologies and healthcare products for the treatment of over 70 health conditions. In 2020, Medtronic Australasia, the company’s Australian and New Zealand arm, wanted a Christmas gift to reward its 950 staff for the hard work and commitment put in to get through a very challenging year.
The Christmas gift had to be practical and appeal to a wide cross-section of recipients, varying in age, gender, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Both the packaging and gift had to reflect Medtronic’s brand and mission statement, meet their budget and include cost of logistics and distribution to 950 individual locations across Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, and importantly, the gift had to be Australian-themed and designed to support disadvantaged communities.
What could more Australian than the work of indigenous artists? With the idea of ‘connection to country’ as our main focus, Present Company Included worked closely with our client, Australian suppliers and indigenous artists to create a unique gift pack in support of indigenous artistic communities. All items were designed in Australia, most were ‘Made in Australia’ certified and royalties went directly to the artists and their communities. The gift pack included:
- Double-walled drink bottle designed by artist Melanie Hava, who took inspiration from reef, rainforest, art and architecture to create an enchanting combination of landscapes, colour and pattern.
- Small ceramic bowl called ‘Bindi Bindi’, hand-thrown and individually painted by Koorie artists with a mix of dot and animal art. Each bowl came in its own elegant black gift box that included a card signed by the artist.
- Natural Soy Wax Candle made from a combination of earthy fragrances and poured into glass jars that featured a mix of gorgeous indigenous designs.
- Cotton Tote Bag featuring a range of indigenous artworks and designs depicting Dreamtime stories.
A Christmas card was also included, which featured full colour branding on both sides and a thank you message. The overall gift package was custom designed and aligned to Medtronic’s primary colour palate. Final packaging featured gloss white lid and base gift boxes with navy blue grosgrain ribbon.
As requested, all 950 gifts were delivered to staff home addresses across Australia and New Zealand by mid-December. The response from the staff was overwhelming. They were thrilled to receive a gift that promoted local indigenous artists and supported the economy of their respective communities. Medtronic management was inundated with thank you emails and as a result is looking at creating a 2021 gift that is Australian or New Zealand inspired.