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Posts Tagged ‘Flash drives’

Some Of Our Branded USB Memory Sticks Are Getting A Makeover

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Makeovers are all the range at moment. It’s difficult to switch on the TV these days without being challenged to “look 10 years younger” or “look good naked” or for the more adventurous to take the challenge of an “extreme makeover”.

Boots No.7 Twister USB

Boots No.7 Twister USB

Taking a lead from the more gentle, non-invasive approaches of these program’s we’ve applied the same principals to some of our branded USB memory sticks and come up with some interesting new looks and styles. Of course changing the colour of the rotating “clip” on a Twister style USB flash drive is not quite as radical as undergoing cosmetic surgery but by applying different coloured clips to the standard models that are usually supplied with a plain silver/metal clip the results are stunning.

The Twister USB flash drive has long been the best selling promotional USB drive and the introduction of these new colour options that allow you to mix and match the body shell with a “clip” in a complimentary colour almost guarantee its position as “top dog” in the branded USB memory sticks market for the foreseeable

Max Factor USB Twister

Max Factor USB Twister

future.

With a certain degree of irony its interesting to see that some of the first customers to embrace these “madeover” Twister USB drives include two leading cosmetic companies; Boots No.7 and Maxfactor. Of course you’d expect these brands to have their finger on the pulse when it comes to what’s current and hot in the market so perhaps it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. For them it was the black on black option that was the winner but for other clients like the National Trust the ability to mix a metallic finished clip with a pantone matched body shell to create a bespoke look was the way forward.

National Trust Twister USB

National Trust Twister USB

Following on from the success of the makeover to our Twister Range of USB flash drives we’ve now got our designers looking at a couple more products within our Classic Range to see if we have any other candidate for a makeover.

If you’re looking for branded USB memory sticks for a forthcoming event, show or promotional activity then just give our team a call and they’ll talk you through the options.

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Some Of Our Branded USB Memory Sticks Are Getting A Makeover

We’re All In A Lather Over Leather USB Flash Drives

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Lets face it if you’re looking for a promotional product these days then a branded USB flash drive has got to be on your short list of options. Yes, there are alternative products about but very few of them combine a good looking, desirable and useful product with the ability to pre-load onto the product all of your corporate sales material, product flyers, media files, web links and so on!

What else is there for less that a few pounds will be so warmly and gratefully received as a USB flash drive particularly when the flash drive is in effect a Trojan Horse that is carrying inside it all of your compelling sales information. Bear in mind that the few pound that the printed flash drives will cost you can often be offset by not having to print your glossy corporate brochures, your presentation slide and other corporate material. Good quality brochures cost a fortune and printing out and collating Powerpoint slides in-house is equally expensive so it makes sense to pre-load these onto a flash drive and hand them out.

People like and in many ways prefer to get their product/corporate information this way, particularly if they are getting it at a trade show or event where they are likely to be offered brochures and product information by lots of vendors. No one really wants to “lug” bags of brochures around all day – walking around trade shows and consumer fairs is hard work in itself before you weigh yourself down with tons of brochures many of which will find their way straight into the bin.

USB flash drives, because of their perceived value and their usefulness will get kept and they will get used and as soon as they are used your company data (if you’ve pre-loaded it onto the USB flash drives) will be presented to them. Even better as the USB flash drive is used it will generate more brand exposure and hopefully engender some brand loyalty.

Leather USB Drives

Leather USB Drives

But how do you choose which of the many thousands of USB flash drives is right for you, your company or your event/activity. Well, if you’re looking for a steer based on what’s popular then you can’t go far wrong with the Twister Model (sometimes also called the Rotate) but if you want something a little different with a touch of luxury and class about it then you might consider a leather USB flash drive. The leather versions of the USB flash drive are warm to the touch, tactile, robust and work incredibly well as a give-away or promotional product.

At USB2U we’ve just taken delivery of some exciting new leather USB flash drives which we think are well worth a look. Interested? – Give us a call for free on 0800 008 7079 or complete our no-obligation quote form on our web site.

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We’re All In A Lather Over Leather USB Flash Drives

9-Day Traffic Jam In China – Deliveries Of USB Memory Sticks Not Affected

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

In the UK we often bemoan the road traffic networks and what seem like interminable delays whenever you try and go anywhere. Holiday journeys, particularly on bank-holiday weekends, and trips around the M25 can bring to tears and emotionally “break” weaker mortals.

But, the odd few hours delay on the road networks in the UK are trivial compared to the 9 day traffic jams now being experienced in China along the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. This is an arterial road connecting coalmines to the ports on the eastern coastline.

China is incredibly an incredibly power hungry nation which is no surprise given their status as the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Their demand for coal to produce electricity to power their factories grows unabated with electricity consumption up a reported 22% in the first half of this year.

With a lack of suitable railway links from the primary coalfields the major trucking routes have now become almost impossible to travel on. The situation has been exacerbated by the closure of some mines on the grounds of safety putting even more pressure on a smaller number of coal producers all of whom truck their coal on the same Expressway!

Apparently the situation might get a little easier in 3-4 years when new rail lines are expected to come on stream but if you’re currently at the back of a 9-Day tailback I’m not sure how much comfort that is going to be to you!

Fortunately the factories that produce the branded USB flash drives are unaffected by the delays and problems this monster traffic jam is causing the Chinese economy albeit the USB factories, like many in China, do suffer the occasional power outage.

Twister USB Flash Drives

Twister USB Flash Drives

At the moment there are no reported delays to any orders for branded USB memory sticks but if you are considering buying branded USB flash drives its always better to plan ahead and allow yourself sufficient time to deal with most eventualities – in essence, if you can, build in a few extra days of fat into your timescales.

If you are up against it time wise then its worth remembering that some suppliers with offer a “rush” service for printed USB flash drives – this typically means they will supply you from their own plain (un-printed) stock and arrange for the printing to take place in the UK. This will ensure you get your flash drives in time but you’ll always pay a premium for this service.

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9-Day Traffic Jam In China – Deliveries Of USB Memory Sticks Not Affected

Not Sure Whether To Buy A USB Pen or USB Flash Drive – Simple Buy Both!

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Many of our customers have very clear ideas about what they want from a branded USB memory stick and its not unusual for them to have very precise ideas on what model, colour and memory size will work best for them and their brand. Sometimes this is simply because they have purchased branded memory sticks before and simply want a repeat order or because they’ve seen other companies USB memory sticks and want something similar for themselves.

But, if you’re looking to order USB memory sticks with your logo printed or engraved on for the first time it can be daunting. Not only are there literally hundreds of different models and styles available including credit card versions, USB pens, leather memory sticks, USB keys and the usual range of “more standard” designs but every model comes in a range of different colours and in some cases a range of different finishes, i.e. glossy, rubberised, and metal.

Once you’ve settled on a short list its then a case of working out exactly what you want printed on the memory sticks, whether you should print on both sides, whether you should have the same design printed on both sides or perhaps have your logo on one side and your web URL and phone number on the other side. Decisions, decisions!

Of course for customers that are not quite sure what they want it helps that our in-house design team are on-hand to work up concepts and ideas. At USB2U we’ve always offered this service without charge and without any obligation because we want to make sure that you get not just an “ok” memory stick but a branded USB memory stick that looks fantastic and will do a great job at promoting your company. It’s a cliché but we want our customers to be “delighted” with the choice they’ve made and if that means going the extra mile to help them make the right decision then we’re happy to do it.

Branded Memory Sticks and Pens

Branded Memory Sticks and Pens

For some customers narrowing down the choice to one particularly USB memory stick is not always easy. One option is to go with multiple types or the same model but in a variety of colours. A great example of this is BASI (British Association of Snowsport Instructors) who eventually chose a Classic USB flash drive and a USB Pen with the pen being supplied in a really nice metal tin. Both of them look great and its easy to see why making a decision between the two would be tough. BASI were delighted with the results and were kind enough to say the following:

“Just a line to let you know that I have received the USB’s today and that I am delighted with the products. Thank you for your assistance with the order, and it has been a pleasure to deal with you.”

If you’re considering buying branded USB memory sticks and you’re not sure which model to choose then just give us a call. Our friendly sales team will talk you through the options and arrange a free no obligation mock-up(s) for you.

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Not Sure Whether To Buy A USB Pen or USB Flash Drive – Simple Buy Both!

Lanyard USB Flash Drives With A Military History

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Lanyards, also referred to today as neck-straps, are ropes or cords that are typically worn around the neck (hence the reference to neck-straps) to secure to you something of value or importance.

Historically the “something” would most likely have been a whistle, sword or pistol, which was typically connected to the wearer’s uniform. Lanyards were particularly popular with navy or cavalry officers where there was a much greater risk of losing your weapon or whistle. Clearly not something you wanted to happen!

Over time the functional side of the lanyard within the armed forces has diminished and you’re more like to see them in use today as a decorative attachment with different coloured braids that make up the lanyard denoting rank and affiliation within the armed forces.

Outside of the armed forces lanyards have become incredibly popular within business and academic communities for displaying name badges, ID badges and security tags. Lanyards of this type are typically manufactured from polyester, nylon, silk or PET and will typically be branded in some way.

Lanyard USB

Lanyard USB

One of the more recent innovations in the world of the lanyard is the development of the USB Lanyard – this novel product combines all the benefits of a lanyard with all of the benefits of a USB flash drive. Essentially it’s a USB flash drive integrated into the “clip” of the lanyard. The fact that you can pre-load data onto the flash memory embedded in the lanyard clip and brand both the “clip” and the lanyard itself makes it an ideal product for seminars, conference, trade shows, large companies with staff who wear ID badges and so on.

Just like any conventional USB flash drive the Lanyard USB is available in a range of different memory sizes starting from 512MB all the way up to 16GB. The width of the lanyard is a little wider than some of the standard ones available because the clip has to be wide enough to accommodate the flash memory and the flash controller chips.

Because of the multiple branding options presented by this product it really does look stunning and shows off a brand or multiple brands incredibly well. For the wearer the benefits are obvious; security, ease of use, simplicity and whether you like wearing them or not (and the world seems to be split on this) they do look pretty stylish!

Whilst lanyard USB flash drives are unlikely to topple the dominance of standard promotional and branded flash drives they are an option that is likely to grow in popularity.

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Lanyard USB Flash Drives With A Military History

Northampton Schools Join The USB Flash Drive Fun

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Hot on the heels of Northampton University and Northampton Borough Council ordering branded USB flash drives from USB2U there is now lots of interest from local schools in the town

Perhaps the news of the recent delivery of some excellent branded USB flash drives to Duston School has started to seep out. It wouldn’t be too surprising if this was the case because one of the reason USB sticks are popular as giveaways or as promotional items is that they create lots of interest and “chatter” which after all is exactly what you want if you are looking to promote something.

USB School Flash Drive

USB School Flash Drive

Clearly in the case of schools it’s less about the promotional benefits and more about providing teachers and students with a useful tool that can be used to save and carry data around on. Many schools now either provide their teachers and students with memory sticks at no cost or simply make them available to purchase at a heavily discounted price.

With the growing use of PC’s and white boards in the classroom it perhaps surprising that USB memory sticks have not found themselves onto the list of items every student must have when they start school. It wasn’t too long ago that calculators were the preserve of the few whilst everyone else struggled with slide rules and log-tables. Today of course calculators are cheap, plentiful and a core part of daily life at school. How long will it be before USB flash drives go the same way?

If you are considering buying branded USB flash drives for your school or university then get in touch with the team at USB2U. They always have lots of offers on like free data-loading, free gift boxes, free lanyards and every school or university immediately qualifies for 30-day trade terms.

Its always useful to talk your requirements through with one of the team at USB2U because memory sticks used in schools are typically subject to a fair amount of punishment so they can advise you on USB flash drives that are going to be robust enough to stand up the job. Equally if you’re concerned about the students losing them its possible to get each and every USB flash drive sequentially numbered so they can be “bound” to the student and returned in the event of loss.

So, get set for the start of the new academic year and order up your School USB flash drives now.

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Northampton Schools Join The USB Flash Drive Fun

Promotional USB Flash Drives Take Northampton By Storm

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Well, maybe “taken by storm” is a slight stretch but nevertheless it’s good to see USB2U, a Northampton based supplier of branded memory sticks being selected by Northampton University and Northampton Borough Council to supply them with their branded USB flash drives.

Not all local authorities, schools and universities put enough emphasis on local procurement which in today’s highly competitive environment where budgets are under increasing pressure it’s understandable that price is commonly the main factor in any buying decision. But, providing the price and service is right then it makes good economic sense to source locally so its hats off to these two organisations for working with and selecting USB2U.

Northampton University

Northampton University

USB2U have been supplying promotional USB flash drives and custom (fully bespoke) USB memory sticks since 2002 and are now regarded by many as the leading supplier in the UK. Their client base includes a significant number of household names including; BT, Microsoft, Intel, RBS, The Royal Opera House and Coutts to name but a few. Additionally, USB2U are active members of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce and members of the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association).

NBC USB Flash Drive

NBC USB Flash Drive

Given the pedigree of USB2U both Northampton University and Northampton Borough Council knew they were in safe hands and because USB2U offer some of the most competitive prices in the business they were pretty much guaranteed to get their USB flash drives on the most favourable terms possible.

If you’re based in or around Northampton and you’re interested in buying branded USB flash drives for your business then give the team at USB2U a call on 0800 008 7079. USB2U’s offices are in Duston, Northampton and their knowledgeable and friendly team are always happy to meet with you to discuss your requirements and to develop a range of concepts and ideas for you free of charge and with no obligation.

If you’re not local don’t let this put you off because USB2U ship anywhere in the world!

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Promotional USB Flash Drives Take Northampton By Storm

The Open Championship – USB Flash Drivers At The Ready

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Today sees the return of The Open Championship to St Andrews, which is recognised the world over as the home of golf. With all of the fun and games off the course over the past few months and with the Ryder Cup looming large on the horizon the tournament this year will be as interesting as ever no doubt helped a little by the challenging conditions that seem likely to greet the players. Hopefully golf will be the winner and we’ll be in for a cracking contest.

Golfbag USB Flash Drive

Golfbag USB Flash Drive

With a global TV audience of millions and an on-course crowd that will run into the hundreds of thousands the pressure is not just on the players but the event organisers, its sponsors and the companies that use the event to provide hospitality to its key clients, customers and prospects.

Of course for the fans it’s all about the golf and just being at St Andrews to soak up the history, the spectacle and the atmosphere and for following your favourite player(s) around the course. But for the on-course concessions, and for major brands that are a participant in the golfing industry like Nike, Ping, Titelist, TaylorMade, Adidas it’s an important event to connect with and sell to the fans and the legion of amateur players that turn up or tune in.

One of the more innovative options open to companies to engage with their customers at The Open is to use a branded USB flash drive. These can be customised in the shape of golfing equipment or golf balls and branded up with

USB Golf Ball

USB Golf Ball

the company’s logo or, more simply, a standard USB flash drive can be printed or engraved with the company’s logo.

Flash drives of this type are then typically given away as a “keepsake” or “memento” for clients attending hospitality days or by vendors who want to promote their products or services to the fans (customers) on the course. When you’re spending all day walking around a golf course the last thing you want is a bag full of brochures to weigh you down but a USB flash drive weighs next to nothing and can be pre-loaded to contain tons of information including sales brochures, video clips, media files, and web links. But, unlike just handing out a business card with a website address on you can pretty much guarantee a USB memory stick is going to get used and therefore your content is going to be viewed and your branded remembered.

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The Open Championship – USB Flash Drivers At The Ready

Don’t Panic We’re The 4th Emergency Service For Branded USB Memory Sticks

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

We’ve all been there and its not pleasant. It’s that sinking, horrible feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when it suddenly dawns on you that your job or career is on the line because of things that are often outside of your personal control.

If you’re working on a project or activity and you’re working against a hard deadline then the last thing you need is to be told by your supplier that they can’t deliver your goods on time. Equally you don’t need unexpected requirements being foisted upon you at the last minute with little or no time to plan and schedule them in let alone source products if they are needed. But in the real world it happens and unfortunately it happens more often than we’d all prefer.

All the planning and preparation in the world can’t accommodate these little “bombs” when they happen but what you can do is try and factor in a little contingency in your plans. Its not always easy and contingency has a nasty habit of just being “absorbed” in the project.

emergency USB flash drive

emergency USB flash Drive

If find yourself in a tight spot and needing branded USB memory sticks in a hurry then don’t panic. At USB2U we pride ourselves on being the “4th Emergency Service” of the branded USB memory stick world. We hold lots of plain, unprinted stock in the UK which we can get printed and delivered to you within 48hrs of a firm order and the supply of artwork to us.

You won’t have lots of choice in terms of models or memory size because we tend to hold stock of the most popular models and sizes we sell but if you are up against it or you’ve been let down by another supplier we can normally help.

For an idea of what we can offer and what stock we have in at any point in time its best to call us and speak to one of the team. They can talk you through the options and work with you to get your project back on track.

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Don’t Panic We’re The 4th Emergency Service For Branded USB Memory Sticks
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