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Archive for January, 2010

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Branded USB Memory – Tip 1. When Is A Chip Not A Chip?

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

This is the first in a series of top tips to consider when purchasing Branded USB Memory Sticks.

With the growing popularity of Branded USB Memory sticks, there are a number of providers springing up to support this. However, there is a hidden issue that any potential buyer needs to be aware of, that not all providers are that transparent with.

USB Memory Chipsets

In essence there are 3 components to any Branded USB Memory sticks, the flash chip (the brains), the circuit board and the body of the USB Memory stick itself.

Whilst the circuit board and body are pretty standard across the industry, there is a wide variation of USB Flash chips. In summary these can be classified as follows:

Grade A: Original ‘branded’ USB flash chips

USB Flash Memory

These flash chips are made by leading global brands such as Samsung, Hynix, Intel, Micro. They will print their name and unique series number on each chip.

These are tested to a high QA tolerance and come with a full warranty. They are the most reliable, but come at a premium price and are the most expensive USB Flash chips in the market.

Grade B: OEM flash chips

These USB flash chips are made from the main chip providers, but do not carry any branding or warranties. They are as reliable as the branded flash chips, but come at a discounted rate.

Grade C: Downgraded flash chips

There is a wastage of chips from the main manufactures, from a combination of the chip cutting process and QA failures. These are sold in bulk to third parties, who aim to recycle and sell on. There is a high failure rate on these USB Memory sticks, up to 40% in some instances. However the low price also reflects this.

Faulty USB Chipset

Grade D: Masked chips

Finally we have fake / counterfeits USB Memory chips. This is when port quality chips are programmed to mask the real size of the memory. For example, a memory stick may show that it is 1Gb, but could actually be a 128Mb chip. The only way that a user would find out the problem exists is if they try to load data that is over the actual chip capacity. The prices offered are extremely low and reflect the cost of the actual chip set used.

So in summary, ensure the supplier informs you in writing what type of chip they are providing. If it is a mission critical or high profile project, it’s worth paying for Grade A branded chip. However, Grade B would suffice for most promotional campaigns.

One final point if the price for the USB Memory sticks sound too good to be true or out of sync with other quotes then there is a high probability of them being Grade C or D chips.

Next in the series- Tip 2 – The dangers of  loading data onto USB Memory sticks.

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Branded USB Memory – Tip 1. When Is A Chip Not A Chip?

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USB2U Joins Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Having already supplied branded USB memory sticks to several members of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce over the past few years USB2U is today delighted to announce that it has become a member in its own right.

Northants Chamber

USB2U is part of the Secure Living Group and was set up in 2002 to supply branded and custom flash drives to companies and schools in the UK. Today, 7 years later USB2U together with its sister company USBNow continues to go from strength to strength and is recognised as a leader in the USB and promotional USB markets. Its customers include many notable household names including Intel, Microsoft, BT, Barclays, BP, Disney and Vodafone to name but a few. USB2U has also supplied tens of thousands of promotional memory sticks to hundreds of schools and universities across the UK.

To celebrate joining the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, USB2U is offering a 5% discount and free delivery on orders placed by fellow members. (Offer valid until 20th Feb 2010)

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USB2U Joins Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce

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How Do You Select A Supplier for your Custom USB Memory Sticks

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Custom USB Memory Sticks should not be confused with printed or engraved USB flash drives. These are standard designs that are simply overprinted with a company logo or brand and whilst they are incredibly popular they are not custom memory sticks.

A custom USB memory stick sometimes also referred to as a bespoke flash drive is, as the name implies, designed and manufactured to meet a specific customers requirements. There are pretty much no limits to what the memory stick can look like, what colour it comes in or what size it is.

Custom memory sticks can be manufactured as a 2-D or 3-D shape and in a range of different materials. The only one constraint is that the custom shape has to be large enough to accommodate a standard USB connector (so that you can connect it to our PC or Mac) and within the custom shape there has to be enough room to house the PCB and Flash Memory Modules.

Custom USB

Whilst there are lots of companies that can supply standard branded or printed flash drives there are far fewer that can or will offer custom solutions. The reason is that to get the best from a custom memory stick you really need a supplier with in-house design skills coupled with a real understanding of what is possible and the time to engage with you and discuss your requirements. Its then critical that they deliver a range of options for you and then work with the factory to produce the mould(s) and physical samples for you to approve. Unlike standard printed flash drives its critical that you see a custom memory stick in the flesh before you go into manufacture.

A lot of suppliers have neither the skills or experience necessary to enable you to get the best custom solution for your money and worst still they’ll under estimate the lead times and effort involved (by all parties) and over estimate their ability to deliver.

Custom memory sticks are truly excellent way of making your company stand out from the crowd so don’t be put off. Whilst there is some extra effort involved and they will be a little more expensive the end results can be fantastic. Some great examples of custom USB memory sticks:

USB Eraser USB Eraser – a 3-D memory stick manufactured in the shape of a classic eraser. Used by an animal drugs company that wanted to promote its new “pain eraser” drug. By playing on the wording of the product name and its key strap line they came up a novel custom memory stick that really got their message across.
Wedding Dress USB Wedding Dress USB – a custom 2-D flash drive manufactured in the shape of a wedding dress for a Bridal wear company that wanted something to grab their customers attention. The memory stick was pre-loaded with their sales brochure and some great photo’s of their dresses and gowns.
Forklift USB Forklift USB – this is a 2-D custom USB memory stick manufactured in the shape of a forklift truck. Not surprisingly it was supplied to a forklift truck company who in turn used it to promote their company at a trade show. They pre-loaded the memory stick with their sales PDF’s, links to their web site and media files.

If you are looking for Custom USB Memory sticks then find yourself a supplier that has a successful track record or delivering these in the past and ideally has worked on multiple 2-D and 3-D projects.

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How Do You Select A Supplier for your Custom USB Memory Sticks

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Chinese New Year – Plan Ahead for Branded USB Flash Drives

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and this year the factories that produce the branded USB flash drives will be closed from around the 7th February to the 21st February. During this period not only do the factories that manufacture the memory sticks close but much of the infrastructure including the local and national freight companies (TNT, DHL, UPS etc) all pretty much stop and nothing moves.

Chinese New Year

The consequence of this is that for 2 weeks nothing much gets manufactured and what little does get manufactured can get stuck in China waiting for the freight and courier companies to return to work. There also tends to be a knock on effect on lead times when factories return to work and start dealing with the backlog of orders. Usual lead times of 7-10 days can get stretched to 3-4 weeks. Coupled with this the increased demand after the Chinese New Year holiday has historically pushed up prices in the short term.

Some UK companies will hold blank stock of the most popular branded memory sticks in anticipation of this seasonal challenge but bear in mind that UK prices for both stock and in particular the overprinting (post manufacture) are much more expensive. So, if you have an event or activity coming in February for which you require branded or promotional USB memory sticks then plan ahead and get your order in early. This way not only are you assured of getting your memory sticks in time but you’ll most likely get them at a better price.

Chinese New Year USB

According to the Chinese Zodiac calendar 2010 is the year of the Tiger an animal synonymous with bravery and courage combined with power and grace. The Chinese New Year Holiday (also known as the Spring Festival) is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays and it’s a time when the focus turns away from work towards the family.

At USB2U we will, as always, carry some UK stock for our customers but there is always a high demand for this stock during the Chinese New Year so we strongly recommend that you plan ahead and place your order well in advance. This way we can supply exactly what you need without any compromise on colour or style of memory stick and we will deliver them at a better price.

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Chinese New Year – Plan Ahead for Branded USB Flash Drives

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Custom USB Solution for Cableduct

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Custom USB memory sticks look set to be the “big thing” in the promotional USB market in 2010 and one of the companies that’s ahead of the game in the use of a custom memory stick is Cableduct.

This is no surprise really as Cableduct have always been a company synonymous with innovation and design. They have picked up a string of awards for their cable management systems including the 2008 Innovation Award and the Electrical Industry Innovative Product of the Year award in 2009.

What better way then to show off their Cableduct system whilst at the same time providing their customers with the latest product information and pricing than to commission a fully bespoke memory stick manufactured in the shape of their best selling Cableduct system.

Cableduct Custom USB

Cableduct Custom USB

The end result looks fantastic. Not only do Cableduct now have a unique USB memory stick but its been loaded with all of their sales, marketing and pricing material. This is an ideal tool for Cableducts sales team to use during customer visits, to give away at trade shows and exhibitions or to use at any Press Event.

This really is an example of custom memory sticks at their best – the shape really does reflect the company and the company’s product(s), it will have massive customer impact and recall and it will really help to underpin the company’s brand and sales activities.

Creating this custom memory stick was very much a team effort with Cableduct coming up with the idea and concept and the team at USB2U working with them to turn it into reality and then taking care of the data loading for them.

During 2010 we expect more and more companies to place orders for custom USB memory sticks rather than standard “factory designs” that are overprinted. Not only do custom USB memory sticks deliver a “bigger bang for your buck” but the historic minimum order quantities and large set up costs associated with this type of product have all but been eroded. The only real consideration is the lead-time to deliver the completed memory sticks. Where are standard “printed memory stick” can be delivered in around 10-14 days you need to allow around 28 days for a custom memory stick.

If you would like pricing on your own custom memory stick then just give our team at USB2U a call or if you prefer complete our on-line enquiry form.

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Custom USB Solution for Cableduct

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Large or Complex Logo? – No problem with the Slider USB

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

If you’ve got a large or complex logo then it’s not always easy to choose the right memory stick to really do it justice. Whilst many suppliers will just ask you to “simplify” the logo or reduce the number of colours in the logo its not really the right answer.

Printing and reproducing your brand or logo correctly is critical. There’s no point spending a fortune designing and developing a brand only to them compromise it simply because the product you want to reproduce it on can’t support it.

USB Slider

But, the reality is that many standard style USB memory sticks are relatively small and the print area on the sticks can be even smaller. Small memory sticks are popular but not always the right solution for complex logos. Whilst some of these small sticks can support a full colour print process, squeezing your brand and any strapline onto the print area will, in some cases, mean its impossible to see/read the end result clearly.

There are several options to overcome this problem including using a Credit Card style memory stick. These are not really “memory sticks” per se but credit card shaped product that has a USB connector built into it with some on-board flash memory. The beauty of this product is that because its exactly the same size as a credit card it fits neatly into a wallet and provides lots of space (front and back) to print on. You can also use the latest full colour printing process techniques on these cards to achieve a very high-resolution reproduction of any complex design. But, credit cards are not to everyone’s taste.

If you have a complex logo and it’s a branded memory stick you want in the true sense of the term then you could consider “Slider” model. This memory stick is capless, it has an integral keying loop and it’s a little larger than much other memory sticks without being excessively large. But, the real beauty of this model is the very large print area onto which you can print.

USB Slider

This example shows the how complex graduated prints with lots of text still look fantastic when produced on the Slider model.

If you think the Slider memory stick might solve your memory stick challenge then give us a call and we’ll provide you with a personalise quote and we’ll even mock one up for you free of charge so you can see just how it will look.

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Large or Complex Logo? – No problem with the Slider USB

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Saving a Website URL onto Branded Memory Stick

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

If you’ve ordered some branded USB memory sticks for your sales conference, show or exhibition and really want to squeeze the maximum value from them then you should consider loading data onto the memory stick as well.

Whilst the printed USB memory stick will do a great job at showing off your brand or logo loading data onto the sticks is a easy and cost effective way to give your customer easy access to your sales, pricing and promotional material.

USB Duplicator

After all the most expensive part of any branded memory stick is the flash memory housed within the stick itself so it makes sense to make use of it. Any file that can be digitized can be stored on the memory stick. As a good rule of thumb any data that can be stored on your PC or Mac can be stored on the memory stick but its best to stick to file or data types that most people will have the application to open.

Files that are typically pre-loaded onto a memory stick before distribution include things like PDF versions of sales brochures or price lists, PowerPoint presentations, Movie files, audio files and other Microsoft Office files.

These files can either be “locked” onto the memory stick so they can be viewed or copied but not deleted. Or they can be loaded without any protection so that they user can delete them when they have finished with them and then make full use of the available memory on the stick for their own use. There are two schools of thought on the merits of which approach is best but if you do load lots of data onto the memory sticks and then “lock” this data you make it less likely that the stick will be used and therefore negate the benefit of the user carrying it around with them.

Its always easier (and cheaper) to load the data onto the memory sticks during the manufacturing process but if this is not possible then don’t panic because most supplier of branded memory sticks offer a local, post-production data loading service as well albeit this tends to be a little more expensive.

USB Dataload

One of the simplest and most effective things to data load onto a memory stick is a link to your website. Loading these links onto the memory sticks is very very simple. If you are loading web links yourself just connect the USB stick to your PC and wait for the PC to allocate a Drive Letter to it and generate the “pop-up” window so that you can see what’s on the stick. At this point you just “drag and drop” the bookmark of your website from your browser to the memory stick and that’s it. What you should then see is a link stored on the memory stick that when clicked will open you web page.

Don’t ignore the opportunities to load data onto your memory sticks even if it’s something as simple as your web site URL. After all you’re paying for the memory storage on a promotional memory stick so you ought to make best use of it.

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Saving a Website URL onto Branded Memory Stick

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Put Your Branded Memory Stick Spend On A Credit Card In 2010

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Custom USB Flash Drives are now firmly established as a key tool within the Promotion and Sales industry. Whether you have a sales event or show where you want a convenient way to distribute information about your products or services or perhaps a conference where you want to hand out the event information from the event branded memory sticks are the way to go.

USB Credit Card

In fact these incredibly useful gadgets can be used in many many ways including but not limited to:

  • On-pack sales promotions
  • Competition prizes
  • Trade show “give-aways”
  • Press Launches (and lunches)
  • Product Launches
  • Staff rewards and incentives
  • Customer mailers
  • Re-seller and partner fairs

The most popular style or shape of branded memory stick used for these activities tend to be “stick” shaped (not as in a stick from a tree but small, rectangular shaped flash “sticks”) but there are other options!

One of the key trends in 2010 is expected to be the move to a bespoke or truly custom shape that is unique to the customer using it. Examples would include custom USB disks in the shape of a car or truck to support the launch of a new vehicle or perhaps in the shape of a company logo or brand. Any 2-D or 3-D shape is now possible and bespoke memory sticks really do up the ante in terms of brand support, brand building and product recall.

But, custom memory sticks are not for everyone. If you are looking for something a little different, a little more sophisticated with the scope to support a complex logo or design then you might consider a branded credit card USB. These come in a variety of styles and types but they all adhere to the basic “form factor” of a credit card. Not only do they support a full colour, photo effect print but they can also be supplied in a complementary wallet or case. Costing just a little more than a standard branded memory stick they are certainly worthy of consideration particularly if your target audience is ABC1.

The small additional cost is worth it in terms of the visual impact and much greater perceived value. If you are interested then give us a ring or fill out the on-line enquiry form and we’ll get back to you with a tailored quotation. We also offer a free design and mock-up service to help you visualise the end product.

USB Credit Card

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Put Your Branded Memory Stick Spend On A Credit Card In 2010

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Is the Express Style of Branded Memory Stick Set To Challenge For Top Spot in 2010

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Over the few years the uncontested champion of the branded and promotional memory stick world has been the “twister” style memory stick.

Twister Flash Drive

Sometimes also referred to as the “swivel” or “cap-less” this unpretentious little memory stick has risen to dominance because:

a)     The plastic (or rubber) body shell can be pantone matched to any of the primary colours from your company’s logo.

b)    The twisting metal casing (hence the name) protects the USB connector from accidental damage and means there is no cap to lose.

c)     It’s relatively small. The Twister is a compact USB Memory Stick so it’s easy to carry, and store and despite its size it carries a logo well.

d)    It’s tough. The combination of the metal case and the rubberised body make it a particularly tough memory stick.

e)     It’s easy to print on and its one of the few memory sticks that you can print a true 4 colour process onto. Real “photo-effect” finishes are possible making it the ideal choose if you have a complex brands or logos to reproduce.

f)     Its popularity means that its quite often available from stock, handy if you’re up against a tight deadline for your logo USB sticks.

Express Memory Stick

Up against these pretty compelling reasons any other style or type of branded memory stick is going to have to work pretty hard to compete but, the Express style of memory stick is in with a real shot at the title. Why? Well, the Express offers the following:

a)     It’s a real “cute” looking memory stick that is very tactile

b)    It’s small, even smaller than the twister making it incredibly portable. Ideal if you are taking 100’s or 1000’s to a show or event. Small memory sticks are popular with users and as such they tend to get used more meaning your brand gets better exposure.

c)     Despite its size it there is plenty of space to print onto because the whole of the body shell is available.

d)    The printed area is “sealed” under a resin cover which protects the design/print and ensure brand longevity – you don’t get the “wear factor” common with many other printed sticks.

e)     The Express can be supplied in any colour you want and at no extra cost.

f)     Looks great when coupled with a complimentary lanyard or box.

Express Memory Stick

If you are looking for a branded memory stick in 2010 then it’s worth considering the Express model. At USB2U we think it’s going to become a real contender. Ask one of our team to provide you with a quote and remember we offer a free design service to help you really get the most from your budget.

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Is the Express Style of Branded Memory Stick Set To Challenge For Top Spot in 2010

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Branded Memory Sticks – Looking Forward to 2010

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Branded Memory Sticks have quickly established themselves as one of the key promotional items in the Sales & Promotion sector. Their popularity stems from several key factors including their inherent usefulness, their ability to carry a brand or logo extremely well, their small, portable size and their cost. Coupled with this the typical repeated used of the product ensures good brand promotion and visibility and the ability to load sales data and media files onto the memory stick helps justify their use.

Twister USB

As marketing and advertising budgets in a “post economic meltdown world” were slashed the demand for branded memory sticks and printed USB flash drives continued unabated. The early predictions of “doom and gloom” in the sector failed to materialise and although there have been periods of price volatility throughout the year this has not dissuaded customers from pushing ahead with their projects.

Towards the end of 2009 several key trends emerged which are likely to continue into 2010:

Custom USB Custom Memory Sticks also referred to as bespoke USB flash drives will become more popular because the historic minimum order quantities and relatively high initial tooling and mould set-up costs have been all but removed. As a result it is now possible to get a fully customised USB memory stick in a shape/design that is unique to your company, brand or product for pretty much the same price that you would pay for a simple printed memory stick
Twister USB Twister USB Sticks will continue to dominate the branded range of memory sticks. During 2009 the cap less “twister” style of memory stick accounted for over 60% of all orders where a standard factory design/mould was used. In 2010 their on-going dominance looks assured not least because its now possible to pantone match the body colour of the twister memory stick to any primary colour from a design/logo.
USB Photo-quality Printing Photo Quality Printing is now possible on many branded memory sticks and for very little additional cost. Historically it was only possible to “spot print” onto a memory stick and you paid for each colour printed. This was not only expensive but ruled out many complex logos or designs. Today many factories offer full photographic reproduction and with costs tumbling its likely this will become the de facto standard in future.
Low Quantities Smaller Print Runs of 50 pieces or less are now much more affordable bringing printed USB memory sticks into the reach of many smaller companies. The willingness of factories to support smaller batches of printed sticks is also likely to see them used for smaller conferences and seminars.
Price Volatility Continued Price Volatility will make it difficult to forward predict prices or get firm quotes that last more than a few days. Because the factories price in $ (USD) companies buying from outside of the US need to factor in exchange rate fluctuations plus supply/demand price related increases on the core flash memory components. Good advice is to try and avoid the Chinese New Year period and the run up to Christmas when the volatility is at its worst.

The one thing that does seem clear it that branded and promotional USB drives are going to be with us for sometime to come and that their popularity continues to grow. As far as memory sticks are concerned it seems that you can’t get too much of a good thing!

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Branded Memory Sticks – Looking Forward to 2010

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