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Archive for the ‘Branded Memory Sticks’ Category

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USB2U Launches New Fulfilment Service For Branded Memory Sticks

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Demand for branded flash drives continues to grow apace as more and more companies seek to exploit the benefits that these hugely popular products offer.

USB Dome Sticker

Whilst we’re currently experiencing an upward “blip” in the pricing caused by the weakness of the Pound (GBP) against the Dollar (USD) the overall trend is downwards. As the price falls, particularly for lower capacity drives, the opportunities for the Sales and Promotions sector really start to open up. All of a sudden branded memory sticks pre-loaded with movie trailers, music files, dynamic links to web sites and loads of sales material are a viable option to post out to prospective customers.

Whilst the demise of Direct Mail has long been predicted it continues to be a key part of many companies marketing plans and increasingly we expect companies to use entry level branded memory sticks as part of these campaigns. One of the challenges facing any company wanting to post out branded memory sticks to a client base is handling the logistics of sourcing the printed memory sticks, arranging for the data to be loaded onto the sticks and then finding a company to handle the fulfilment of the mailer.

Mini USB Dome Sticker

At USB2U we can now offer a complete end-to-end service, which starts at the design stage of the memory stick and ends in the outbound fulfilment of the printed memory sticks and accompanying marketing pack to your customers. The fulfilment service is managed in-house and leverages the packing and distribution infrastructure we have in place for our sister company – USBNow

USBNow supplies a wide range of USB products to thousands of customers every month and has sent out around 500,000 orders over the past few years so your orders will be in safe hands.

For details of the fulfilment services including the range of delivery options, reporting packs and pricing please speak to your account manager or call us Free on 0800 008 7079.

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USB2U Launches New Fulfilment Service For Branded Memory Sticks

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Common Mistakes When Supplying Artwork for Printed USB Memory Sticks

Friday, March 12th, 2010

The phrase “Garbage in, Garbage out” was commonly used in the early days by computing programmers as a mantra to remind themselves that computers will process whatever data you load into them and return a result. Whether the result it returns is correct or not depends, to a large degree, on the quality of the data presented to the computer.

Vector Guidelines

The expression can be applied equally to many other walks of life including the print industry. If you print an item using low quality artwork, particularly artwork that has been digitally compressed then the printed results will be very poor.

Today most digital cameras and web pages use compressed images with the most popular format being JPEG (named after the Joint Photographic Experts Group who created the standard). JPEG images are typically compressed to a ration of 10:1, in other words as much as 90% of the image content is removed or lost during the compression process. This process is known as “lossy” and as the name implies when an original image is converted into a JPEG file many of the original elements of the image cannot be recovered. To the naked eye, particularly when viewed on a web page, there will be no perceptible difference to the image pre and post compression.

Compressed JPEG image files are ideal for web pages because they are smaller and therefore load more quickly but they are rarely suitable for print work because the printers will be unable to create sharp images, crisp lines or graduated colours.

If you try and use a JPEG image to print a memory stick then the end results are likely to be “blotchy” and “blurred” and most professional suppliers will simply reject the artwork preferring instead not to produce inferior products.

When ordering printed memory sticks its recommended that you supply artwork in one of the following formats:

File Formats

  • EPS (Encapsulated Postscript)
  • TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
  • RAW (Raw Image Formats)
  • Vector File Formats

These image formats will allow your logo, design or artwork to be rendered properly, printed correctly and printed to sharpness you would expect. What you cannot do is take a poor JPEG image (that you have for example simply “grabbed from a web page”) and convert it to an EPS file.

If in any doubt talk to the suppliers designer or get your designer or design agency to talk directly to the suppliers designer. Its worth spending the time in the early stages of your order to get it right rather than be disappointed with the results when the printed memory sticks arrive on your desk!

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Common Mistakes When Supplying Artwork for Printed USB Memory Sticks

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Branded Memory Stick Resellers

Friday, March 5th, 2010

For years USB2U has been the supplier of branded memory sticks to a large number of resellers in the UK and whilst the arrangement has served both parties well there has never really been any formal structure or program in place to support our reseller partners.

Marriott Twister

With so many resellers now choosing USB2U as their partner of choice we have decided to put in place a formal reseller programme. This programme is designed to formalise what we have been doing successfully since 2002 and now includes some additional features, which we believe will allow our resellers to win more business and generate more profits.

Resellers choose USB2U because we work with our partners to ensure they are successful. We give them the tools and prices they need to win business and we are incredibly respectful of the relationship they have with their client(s). We hold stock of blank memory sticks in the UK and we can turnaround orders for printed flash drives for our resellers and their customers in 48hrs. Coupled with this we have our own in-house design team which allows us to provide mock-ups, proofs and concepts within a matter of hours.

Above all we have an absolute passion about branded and promotional memory sticks that people find infectious. This passion translates into a focus on delivering great customer service to all of our resellers. Whilst we know price and margins are key we also know that we and our partners are judged on our collective ability to deliver on our promises and that just one failure can lead to the loss of the business and the relationship to a competitor.

The key features of the USB2U reseller program are:

  • Named account manager who will look after you and get to understand your business and your requirements.
  • Competitive and discounted pricing
  • Turnover rebates based on each years business (minimum thresholds need to be achieved to qualify)
  • 30-day trade terms (subject to credit application and approval)
  • Free design support, mock-ups and creative consultancy on bespoke USB jobs
  • Artwork optionally delivered embedded in your own branded PDF client approval documents.
  • Free origination
  • Free pantone matching on a wide range of memory sticks
  • Free samples
  • Free delivery to any UK address (mainland only – deliveries over water will be charged at cost)
  • Discounted data loading service

If you’re interested in becoming a USB2U approved reseller then simply send an email to partners@usb2u.co.uk and we’ll get right back to you with details of how to get started.

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Branded Memory Stick Resellers

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Its Not Just Flash Drives Suppliers – Everyone Is Chasing Flash Memory Chips

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

The business to be in this year seems to be the manufacture of flash memory chips. We’re only into the first few day of March 2010 but already there is talk of a worldwide shortage of flash memory chips.

Why? Well, several events have come together to create a huge supply vacuum the most notable of which are:

Apple’s iPhone uses Flash Memory chips and market forecasts suggest they will sell around 33million iPhones in 2010 and Apple have apparently been very canny with their suppliers and “locked them in” with guaranteed future orders. Who can blame them after all the iPhone has been a runaway success and they have the cash reserves behind them to ensure forward continuity of supply.
Sales of mobile phones that contain NAND (memory) flash chips are expected to top 700 million in 2010.
The success of other consumer products like electronic book readers, camcorders and of course the ubiquitous flash memory stick continues to grow apace.
Unusually this year many employees of the smaller support factories/companies have been slow to return from their Chinese New Year holidays and this has resulted in production backlogs.

For the manufactures like Toshiba, Micron Technology, Samsung, Hynix and Intel this is explosion in demand is great news but it will put a huge amount of pressure on their production capabilities this year just to keep up.

For suppliers of branded USB memory sticks and their partner factories the challenge will be ensure the continuity of supply during 2010 and to ensure this supply is at a price that the market will bear. Expect some turbulence in the supply this year and as usual shop around to ensure you get the best deal you can and in timeframes that suit your project, event or activity.

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Its Not Just Flash Drives Suppliers – Everyone Is Chasing Flash Memory Chips

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Are Branded Memory Sticks Too Expensive

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

With marketing and advertising costs being tightened its incredibly important to make sure that the budget you do have to play with works incredibly hard for you. Some people see memory sticks as just too gimmicky, a little over-rated and expensive, particularly when judged against more traditional promotional items. To be fair it depends what you’re trying to achieve and perhaps even more importantly who you target audience is.

If you simply want some promotional give-aways for a large consumer show or you’re looking to raise the general awareness of your brand/product then memory sticks might not be right for you. Equally, if your target audience are unlikely to have access to PC’s or have any little or no requirement for portable data storage solutions then memory sticks are unlikely to be appropriate.

Red Probe USB Flash Drive

Even the cheapest 64Mb branded memory stick is going to be quite a bit more expensive than a branded key-ring, a pen with a logo printed on or a packet of sweets or mints with your company name on. These small gestures/tokens are great to have on a stand to hand out en-masse, they will help to draw people to your stand and they’ll engender some basic form of recall and association with your company but memory sticks are in a different league.

If you’ve targeting business clients, partners, and journalists or perhaps you sell high value products to high net worth individuals then branded memory sticks should be on your list of candidate promotional items. Pretty much anyone who uses a PC will be familiar with the benefits of a USB memory stick and will be delighted to be given one (particularly free of charge)!

Leather Boss Flash Drive w/Metal Tin

The real beauty of a memory stick is that you can pre-load the stick with your sales data, your price lists, links to your web site, media files (videos, music etc) and you can even protect this data and/or make it run automatically when the memory stick is used. Whilst you could argue you could achieve the same results with a CD or DVD the reality is these CD/DVD’s rarely get used/played and more likely will end up in the bin. On the other hand flash drives offer real convenience to the user so they have an incentive to use them. As such the content is far more likely to be read and viewed and because memory sticks can be carried around easily on a lanyard or key-ring your brand will get on-going exposure.

In the context of the additional value memory sticks deliver they are not expensive but they need to be purchased for the right event/audience. If you do pre-load data onto the memory sticks instead of printing catalogues, brochures, press releases etc. you can save yourself a small fortune and make life easier for yourself in terms of transportation and storage. Used smartly printed memory sticks will pay for themselves in a way in which an inert cap or mug simply can’t.

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Are Branded Memory Sticks Too Expensive

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Snap, Snap, Snap… Aah!

Monday, March 1st, 2010

That’s the sound of the little magnetic boxes closing around the branded memory sticks lovingly presented in their cute little clasp boxes. Sitting snugly in their foam beds inside the boxes are printed memory sticks, resting, ready to spring into life and become brand heroes and data savers.

Magnetic Box - Twister

Commissioned by savvy marketers and brand owners looking for a good value, promotional items and incentives that help reinforce their brand values and company objectives.

Its no overstatement to say that branded flash drives are not only great for saving data onto but used in the right way they can save your marketing event, show or conference. Why? Well, branded memory sticks are hugely popular, people like being given them, they like to use them and they like to talk about being given them. The net result of this is that if its your brand that printed on the memory stick then its going to get noticed, its going to get handed around and its going to get talked about.

Magnetic Box - Twister

And, if you really want to raise the fervour and interest levels even higher then start handing out bespoke flash drives and just wait for the reaction. Bespoke flash drives are not just “standard factory models” printed with your logo on but a fully customised 3-D drive made specifically for you. Of course you need to make sure you’ve produced something interesting, novel and something that catches the imagination but irrespective of what you sell or do this should be possible. Examples of bespoke flash drives that have been a resounding success include; erasers, forklift trucks, wedding dresses and cable trunking ducts (see even the seemingly boring can be sexed up!)

Magnetic Box - Credit Card

So, if you’ve got an sales event coming up, maybe a conference or perhaps a press launch you want to create some “buzz” about then you need to consider a branded flash drive. Even if you’re not sure get in touch with a couple of suppliers and get some samples, get some mock-ups and ask for help with design ideas. Done correctly they should fire your imagination and the suppliers will be only too happy to help, well the good ones will, and if they are not walk away and find another one who will.

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Snap, Snap, Snap… Aah!

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Weakness of Sterling Drives up USB Flash Drive Prices

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Over the last 3 months the pound (GBP) has fallen around 11% against the US dollar (USD) and at the moment the trend looks like continuing downwards. Sterling today fell to a 10-month low against the dollar with many analysts now predicting a continuation of the fall to $1.4.  The fall seems to be driven by a number of key factors including:
GBP USD

  • Currency speculators have built up over $6bn of short positions against sterling (effectively betting that it will fall).
  • There are doubts about the Bank of England’s Bank of England’s plans in relation to quantitative easing in the UK.
  • Opinion polls over the week-end seemed to indicate that Labour could hold onto power in the forthcoming general elections – the market is concerned that labour will not deal with effectively with the UK’s record fiscal deficit.
  • The Prudential’s purchase of AIG’s Asia business will put further pressure on the pound because $25bn of the transaction will be in cash and in dollars.

If the pound does fall to $1.4 then this will represent a 17% fall in a relatively short space of time. This has a significant impact on the cost of imported goods into the UK and has a direct bearing on the costs of branded flash drives and custom USB memory sticks.

Pretty much every USB memory stick in the world in manufactured in China and suppliers of memory sticks pay the factories in China in US dollars. Consequently, the fall in the value of the pound has a direct impact on the cost of USB flash drives. Couple these currency cost increases with the recent 2.5% increase in VAT its easy to see why costs risen over the past couple of months and look set to increase moving forward.

Some suppliers will have protected themselves to some degree against these fluctuations but this is only likely to be short-lived. If you are looking to buy branded memory sticks now then be prepared for quotes to be valid for just a day or two (the suppliers need to protect themselves against the vagaries of the market) and be prepared to make decisions quickly to secure the best price you can.

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Weakness of Sterling Drives up USB Flash Drive Prices

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Branded USB Memory – Tip 2. The Hidden Dangers Of Autoruns

Monday, February 15th, 2010

In the second of the series of top tips to consider when purchasing Branded USB Memory Sticks, we explore whether autorun make good business sense when set against the hidden pitfalls!

Many clients are faced with the dilemma of whether they should add an autorun facility to their Branded USB Memory Sticks.

An autorun facility allows users to insert a Branded Memory Stick and for the computer to automatically run a programme e.g. a movie file.

USB Dataload

The advantages of this facility is that it ensures the user is presented with the information the client wants them to see, without having to find the information themselves. This makes is a very intuitive process and ensures the information on the USB Memory Stick is delivered. However there are some hidden pitfalls:

  • Autoruns will not work on Win 98 or 2000 operating systems – beware there are still many users out there with these systems. You will also need to ensure that the appropriate code is written into any autorun for it to work on Mac operating systems.
  • Some corporate firewalls restrict autoruns, so the danger is that the end user will never see the data.
  • Nuisance factor. If one of the objectives is to ensure that the USB Branded Memory Stick is a keepsake that the end user will access on a regular basis then its worth bearing in mind that every time the user wants to access or save a document they will have to run through the dataload programme. Fine for the first few times, but thereafter they may find this an irritation and relegate the memory stick deep into a draw!

There is a middle way, why not consider loading the data onto the Branded USB Memory Stick with an icon labelled ‘Click Here To Start’ and allow the user to access the data when they want.  This data can be protected so it would not be deleted, but overcomes may of the issues detailed above.

If this is not an option, then it is highly recommended to produce a pre-production sample of the autorun. In this way you or your client can test the autorun in the environment it would be used. You do not need to have the final data file to complete this exercise.

Another option would be to load the same data as a non-autorun file on the unprotected part of the Branded Memory stick. In this way, if the autorun fails to work, the user still has the option to select information manually.

There is no doubt that autoruns are a great method to deliver information, but ensure you and/or your client are aware of the pitfalls and try to build in a safety net, as once produced it is extremely difficult to reload the data without returning to the manufacturing plant, which is usually based in China.

View Tip 1. Here.

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Branded USB Memory – Tip 2. The Hidden Dangers Of Autoruns

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Do you have stock of Branded Twister USBs that are dated and unusable?

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Maybe you have changed your logo, phone number, web address or just need to promote something new, but still have stocks of your old branded USB memory sticks.

One of the many advantages of using the Twister USB Memory Stick is that the branding is on the removable metal clip, as opposed to other USB Memory sticks that are branded directly onto the housing. This makes the most valuable part of it, the housing, reusable if your branding requirements change.

It is a cost effective method and easy process to change the clip from Branded USB Memory Sticks. With just a few precautions to take to ensure that the USB housing isn’t damaged or scratched. It is also important to ensure that the new clip is installed correctly to ensure a snug fit.

The following steps should be followed for a smooth transition from one clip to another:

  1. To avoid fingerprint marks on the Branded USB Memory Twister, it is advised that you wear gloves before handling the goods. To remove the old clip, put the forefinger of your left-hand into space inside the metal clip to prise it apart and open it up to get the plastic housing out. This should avoid any scratches to the housing.Recycle Your Branded USB's
  2. Before attaching the new metal clip you need to pinch it together to ensure a snug fit.Recycle Your Branded USB's
  3. In order to avoid defacing the housing, wrap a small plastic bag around it before attaching the clip. Prise open the clip just enough to squeeze it around the housing with the plastic bag sandwiched in between as a protective barrier.Recycle Your Branded USB's
  4. Lastly, carefully pull out the plastic bag to reveal the finished Branded USB Twister.Recycle Your Branded USB's

If all of these steps were carefully followed, you would never know that the clips had not been factory fitted.

Your Branded Twister USBs are now ready to use.

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Do you have stock of Branded Twister USBs that are dated and unusable?

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If You’re Buying Branded USB Memory Sticks Take 5 Minutes to Read This

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Its no exaggeration to say that USB memory sticks are now incredibly popular to the point where they have replaced CD’s and DVD’s as the way to backup personal data and carry it from place to place. Their popularity is driven by their ease of use, their portability and their relatively low cost. Its not uncommon for people to have multiple flash drives with one for work and one for personal data and of course they tend to get replaced/upgraded every year or so to the “latest” model or just a version with more  storage capacity.

Branded Memory Sticks - Click to enlarge

The growing dominance of the once humble USB memory stick is something the promotion and advertising sector spotted early on. Think about it, its rare to attend a conference, show or seminar and not have been offered at least one promotional memory stick. The reason is understandable – not only are they incredibly popular but they are an excellent way to distributing sales material, links to web sites, media files, presentation slides and lots more besides.

Of course in accepting a branded memory sticks (often pre-loaded with data) you are complicit in the on-going promotion of the “givers” brand beyond the event. It is though a real “win win” for both parties because the giver gets great brand exposure and brand association with a highly regarded product whilst the recipient gets something truly useful rather than a cheap/tacky gift that will be discarded quickly.

branded memory sticks

But, a word of warning before you rush to buy branded memory sticks; there are a number of important factors that you must consider:

Am I getting A Grade (new not recycled) Memory Chips?

In the world of flash memory chips not all chips are equal and it’s not just the memory size that is the differentiator. Flash memory chips provide the storage capability inside a USB flash drive and these memory chips are graded by the industry. Only “Grade A” flash memory chips are new and provide certified transfer speeds and guarantee access to the full amount of advertised memory on the chip. Other grades are likely to have failed the factory QA process or will have been salvaged from other products. The consequence of using or buying anything other than Grade A chips is likely to be seen in terms of high failure rates, slow/read write speeds and an inability to access or use all of the claimed memory.

Before you order your memory sticks make sure you are getting new Grade A flash memory chips in your memory sticks and choose a supplier you can trust. Its very difficult to spot the use of cheap chips from a visual inspection of the delivered goods. expected and its possible you’ll overpay for what you’re getting. Always check with your supplier that they are using Grade A memory chips

Should I order USB 1.x, USB 2.0 or event the new USB 3.0 and does it matter.

In short make sure you order USB High Speed version 2.0 memory sticks. Anything using USB 1.1 is old and slow and whilst version 3.0 might be tempting because its new you’ll pay a huge premium for USB 3.0 and its not necessary.  Whilst you might get USB 1x versions at a bargain price anyone you give them to will quickly get frustrated with the slow transfer speeds and abandon them.

RoHS Compliance – You need to understand what this is.

RoHS or the Restriction of Hazardous Substances to give it its long hand  applies to thousands of electrical and computer components imported into the EU. The RoHS legislation is designed to protect the citizens of the EU against hazardous chemicals and substances and its legislation that you and your supplier must comply with. If you are found to have imported non-RoHS compliant products into the EU then you have no defence by arguing that your supplier was to blame. You are collectively responsible and the fines for non-compliance are significant. Before you order anything ensure you ask your supplier about RoHS compliance and if necessary get copies of RoHS certificates.

WEEE Compliance – Educate yourself about what it means to you

The WEEE directive was implemented to encourage reuse and recycling. The Directive states that 65% of all IT kit must be recycled. Some items like old monitors, PCBs (printed circuit boards), computers and batteries should be treated before disposal. It might surprise you but the small, humble USB memory stick falls into this category. As such you ought to advise anyone you give the branded memory sticks to of their obligation under this directive. Failure could result in prosecution.

Choose a reputable supplier who you can trust and who can demonstrate a proven track record.

There are lots of companies springing up (many operating from back bedrooms) that will offer to supply you with branded USB memory sticks and custom flash drives. Whilst their prices may look attractive the above points demonstrate that there is more to buying memory sticks than just price. Choose the wrong supplier and you could get more than you bargained for. You have a corporate responsibility to understand your obligations and to ensure you comply. Ignorance is not a defence.

A reputable supplier will understand the issues and compliance requirements. They will be able to provide you with copies of RoHS and WEEE certificates should you want them for reassurance. Branded memory sticks are fantastic promotional products but just like anything else you buy the better informed you are the better placed you will be to secure not only a great commercial deal but a deal a deal that does not come back an “bite you in the bum”

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