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Archive for the ‘USB Memory Stick’ Category

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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Posted in Branded Memory Sticks, Custom USB, USB Flash Drives, USB Memory Stick | No Comments »

Branded Memory Sticks – Divided By A Common Language

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Without doubt one of the success stories of the promotional industry is the humble USB memory stick. Literally millions of them are manufactured each year and in most cases given away to support a companies advertising or marketing goal.

USB memory sticks are no longer the preserve of the “techie” but instead are the de facto accessory for a significant number of us. It’s the ubiquitous nature of the memory stick coupled with their ease of use and sheer usefulness that makes them popular.

USB Pens

Combine popular with usefulness and a price point that is relatively inexpensive and you have a near perfect promotional vehicle. Couple this with the ability to brand them easily or produce custom versions that take on the form factor of your products and you begin to see their value,

But, the one aspect of a branded memory stick that continues to confuse, baffle and at times frustrate people is what you call them. Are they branded memory sticks, USB sticks, USB flash drives, USB pens, flash pens, USB pen drives, thumb drive, USB thumb drives or any combination of these.

USB Twist

Whilst this might seem to be a trivial matter it does make sourcing branded memory sticks all that more tricky and of course for suppliers looking to promote their services its equally difficult. There can be few products called that we all recognise instantly that we give different labels to. After all an umbrella is an umbrella, a mouse mat is a mouse mat but a memory stick, well, take your pick.

Fortunately, this small issue doesn’t look like it’s going to dent the inexorable climb of the branded memory stick towards to top of the promotional product pile. After all, no matter what you call them what is not in dispute is that they do a fantastic job at promoting a company’s brand or product.

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Branded Memory Sticks – Divided By A Common Language

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Why PR Agencies Should Embrace Customised USB Memory Sticks?

Monday, November 16th, 2009

The core of any successful PR agency is to ensure that the story you are trying to push makes an impact with the target media. They are competing against other agencies try to grab the same column inch space.

So how do you make sure that the PR message is delivered in a manner that is impactful, cost effective, relevant and above all practical.

Custom USB

The answer is the simple Branded Memory Sticks. But not just any generic, standardised and boring shape or size. What the optimum delivery vehicle for any press pack is the Custom USB Memory Stick. Technology has now markedly improved, to allow  a simply picture or graphic to emerge as a unique Customised USB Memory Stick that is in the shape of the story / product / brand you are trying to promote.

Custom USB

So whether its the launch of a new car, drink, food, financial product, in fact any shape or size you can think of, a Customised Memory Stick can be made to that shape. Simply load the press pack onto the Customised Memory stick and away you go. So why does it tick all the boxes?

  • It is human nature for someone to start playing / pulling apart a Customised USB Memory stick and to start showing it to other colleagues and ultimately plugging it in to see what all the fuss is about. For example, a well known health product provider wanted to launch a new female sanitary towel and a key part of this was PR. So they produced a USB memory stick in the shape of the product! The impact was dramatic, how could it be anything else.
  • A range of factual and multimedia data can be loaded onto the Customised memory stick which autoruns once the memory stick has been plugged in.
  • This is a great keepsake so the story / product you are trying to promote will have longevity.
  • The cost of manufacturing has fallen dramatically and the minimum order quantity for Customised Memory Stick can be as low as 100 units.
  • So how to you go about getting a Customised Branded USB Memory stick? Firstly contact an established and reputable UK USB Memory Stick provider. The process thereafter is simple.
  • Send a picture of the shape of the memory stick you are after.
  • A 3d Cad drawing will be prepared for sign-off.
  • Tooling will be produced and a pre-production sample manufactured.
  • Once this is agreed the full production and delivery will take less than 2 weeks.

So before you start pulling together that next cardboard folder full of reams of paper, think again….. Custom USB Memory sticks could be what makes your PR campaign a success or not.

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Why PR Agencies Should Embrace Customised USB Memory Sticks?

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USB Memory Stick Accessories – don’t forget them!

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

USB Accessories

A memory stick is a great way to transport data but they can easily find the bottom of your pocket or bag. It is a good idea to remember that USB2U can provide a range of suitable accessories and packaging to help avoid losing that important little stick! There are many different options of accessories and packaging available such as, lanyards, key rings, carabiners and USB extension cables.

USB lanyard

Lanyards

Lanyards are probably the most popular choice with many of our customers. They can be attached securely to the USB drive and placed around the users neck – a great idea to avoid losing vital data!. And while lanyards are typically worn around the neck, it’s not unusual for them to be hanging out of pockets or belt loops, wrapped around as wrist straps or attached to and hanging from many other things! Lanyards can also be branded with your logo or message.

USB keyring

Keyrings

Key Rings are also a useful accessory to consider. Like lanyards they can be attached to the USB drive and in turn attached to your keys meaning you will never be without your memory stick and data! They are available in different sizes and are more robust than lanyards.

USB carabiner

Carabiners

Our carabiner’s are fast becoming a favourite. These function like a climber’s carabiner and can be attached to the hook of your branded USB. They’re also great for attaching onto bags or laptop cases. Unlike most small key rings they are also big enough to carry a brand or logo.

USB extension cable

USB Extension Cables

USB extension cables are worth considering if your PC box is located under your desk. You simply plug the extension into the USB drive of your PC and feed the cable onto your desktop. You’ll never have to struggle to plug your branded USB drive underneath your desk again!

All of the above mentioned accessories can be supplied with your order of branded USB memory sticks and are available in different colours, shapes and sizes. If you are not sure about which would suit you best please contact USB2U where an Account Manager will be happy to discuss your options.

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USB Memory Stick Accessories – don’t forget them!

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Posted in Branded Memory, Branded USB, USB Memory Stick, USB Memory Sticks | No Comments »