Although some students clearly embrace going to University with open arms it can be a daunting prospect for a lot of students because it is no longer a place that you attend for 5 to 6 hours a day, it’s a whole lifestyle change.  Students will rely on the University and the surrounding area for pass-times, entertainment and fun.  When students move to large University in an unknown city it can be very hard to know what there is to do in the area and what the University offers.

It can also be hard for the University to advertise to the substantial amount of students that join each year the different programmes, activities, sports, clubs, sororities etc. that are available for the students to get involved in.  Compared to schools, Universities have substantially more students enrol each year but have less personal contact with the students making introductions, briefings and communicating information much harder.  If you work for a University, or even a large organisation and have this problem we have just the solution for you.

We supply many promotional USB flash drives to Universities and educational institutes who use them internally, for open days to attract more students and a number of other ways however, one use of custom USB memory sticks could solve the institutions communication problems.

A University branded USB flash drive loaded with important websites, interactive applications, campus maps, informative documents, introductory videos and any other important information given to every new student would ensure that they had all of the information that they needed to hit the ground running and make the most of their University experience.  Not only would the University ensure that each student had the important information that they needed to start the new year, it could be personalised for each school or college within the University and possibly each course.  With password protection the information could be referred back to later on in the year once the student has settled in and sobered up to refresh their minds.

Along with great services, a solid track record and innovative ideas, we also have a great selection of logo USB flash drives which can be customised to suit each University and occasion.  If the University logo and branding is important then the any of the memory sticks from our classic range would be suitable.  If the size and portability of the flash drive is important then we have a range of small and easily transported USB sticks.  If you just want to make sure that students use it throughout their time at University then we’re sure that a USB Bottle opener would get a lot of use.

USB2U Rush Service

If you have an event coming up and don’t have the promotional material that you need or you are frantically trying to organise a conference and need an impressive finishing touch quick we have just the service for you.  Our Rush Service offers branded USB memory sticks within 48 hours of the confirmation of order.  We hold blank stock of the most popular range of USB flash drives for those that need their promotional USB memory stick urgently.

It may seem unbelievable but we really can get USB flash drives branded with you logo in your hands within 48 hours.  We have tried to make the process as simple and stress free for anyone ordering their logo USB flash drives through the Rush Service because we know that they will most likely be occupied with all of the other things that they have to plan for the event or campaign.

To achieve these timescales and to make the process as smooth as possible we do need a bit of help on the customers side.  If the artwork is ready to go in the right format, an order can be confirmed and a proof can be approved in a short time then the process can be underway in good time and the time goal can be met.  The colour of the flash drive is subject to availability but we always make sure that we have a range of memory sizes to fit your specification.

Data loading is also usually possible in these tight timescales but since we will do this in-house it will depend on the speed at which you can get the files to us, the size of the files and the availability of our data-loading machine and team.  Despite this, we will always try to accommodate your requirements, just give us a call to discuss the possibility.

Not only is the fete to get branded USB memory sticks a pretty impressive one but we have done it many times in the past and have gained much experience at it.  If this service fits your requirements for the busy schedule that you have in planning your event then just give us a call to discuss what you need and get the order for your promotional USB flash drives rolling.

We supply branded USB memory sticks for a range of educational institutions such as red brick universities, colleges and upper schools to name a few.  Our busiest time for supplying educational institutes with logo USB flash drives is towards the end and at the beginning of the school year.  So in terms of the supplying schools with flash drives we are currently in the eye of the storm – we supplied a lot for the end of the educational year and are preparing for the rush for the start of the year.

School and University Branded Flash Drives

We recently supplied a job to a school that was giving the flash drives out to pupils who attended the school.  They asked for the promotional USB memory sticks in a range of seven different colours, each year group was given a different colour of flash drive and the teachers were given a separate colour to the students.  This, we’re sure, had quite a few benefits specific to schools.  It could be seen from the colour of the flash drive what year the student was in at the school (this would be particularly handy in a large school), it would prevent flash drives being stolen between years and ‘the dog ate my homework’ was a little less believable now that most of it is done digitally.

In addition to the range of coloured memory sticks we also supplied the flash drives with white stickers on one side for the student to write their name on.  This not only made it more unique for the pupils but also made it much easier to return the flash drive to the student who misplaces it.

As the use of computers and Information Technology grows within schools uses for custom USB flash drives will possibly go from being used for students transferring files from home to school to storing their whole years work on them (with a back-up, obviously) and teachers saving homework on them for students to take home and complete.

To see some of our previous customers in the educational sector and to see the services that we offer educational institutes visit our ‘Branded USB Memory Sticks for Schools & Universities’ page.

For those of you who haven’t heard of augmented reality it is a pretty cool development in technology.  Many of you will have come across it on televised sport without knowing it as augmented reality.  It is used in the end of game analysis on Match of The Day, to measure and show distances of kicks on live rugby and in athletic events to show world records and competitor results.  All of these uses make watching sport more interesting and informative.

The more known uses of augmented reality are in smart phone applications.  Applications that use the smart phone’s camera to show where a restaurant is around you or point out and label landmarks use augmented reality.  These applications can be really impressive and quite helpful.

Augmented Reality with branded USB flash drives

Augmented reality has also been used to advertise cars and films with a computer and a webcam.  BMW used augmented reality back in 2009 to advertise the release of the new Z4.  All that was needed was simple piece simple software was downloaded from the website to use the webcam and a Z4 printout.  Once the application was software was opened and the piece of paper was placed in view of the webcam a 3D version of the new Z4 car could be seen on the paper that could be turned and spun to see each angle of the car.  A nice added feature was that the car could also be driven round your desktop leaving coloured tyre marks on the screen to match the television advert.

Pepsi used a similar idea with their drink cans to advertise the release of the Avatar film.  When a can was placed in view of the webcam a helicopter from the film appeared on the screen and followed the can around.  We have also seen boxes that display the ring from Lord of the Rings in it, T-shirts that show a dagger in the chest and many more creative ideas.

With the recent article that we wrote about company who used their promotional USB memory sticks to print QR codes on we thought that branded USB flash drives are an ideal medium for augmented reality.  The software could be pre-loaded onto the logo USB memory stick to be installed onto the computer and when the webcam recognises the USB flash drive it displays a company logo or something even more creative like and interactive product.  To see which of our many, branded USB memory sticks are most suitable for your creative, technological and creative ideas visit our branded USB product range.

A QR Code Printed onto a Branded USB FLash Drive

As with everything in business nowadays ‘Quick Response Codes’ is often shortened to ‘QR codes’.  They work in a simlar way to a barcode, once scanned with a QR scanner the code is read and the relevant information is produced.  They were first used in tracking parts with vehicle manufacturers but their uses have more recently moved to marketing on devices such as mobile phones and computers.  QR readers can be downloaded onto smart phones or computers using apps such as QR Reader, KAYWA reader or i-nigma reader.  When the code is ‘scanned’ by taking a picture with the phones camera or the computers web-camera the code can direct the phone to do a variety of things such as open a website, display text, show some text, write an SMS message, show a location on Google maps and many more things.  These QR codes have been used on marketing campaigns, on billboards, in newspapers, on business cards and even on chocolate.

QR codes are free to generate and can be made on sites such as www.qrcode.kaywa.com and www.qrstuff.com.  The issue however with QR codes however, is that mobile phones and computers do not come with QR reader software already installed, an application must be downloaded onto the devices before the code can be read.  Despite this QR codes are great for marketing because they mean that static, traditional advertising such as billboards and magazine adverts can become digital and mobile only by taking a photo.

Now, with our recent job printing QR codes onto the branded USB memory sitck, even devices like USB flash drives, which have both digital and static marketing benefits can become that little more digital and mobile.  We think that this job was a great idea and should be very effective as a promotional USB memory stick.

Of course, the idea that a device can open a file, a website or a location on a map has been around for while with branded USB flash drives.  With the auto-run feature that will automatically open certain files when plugged into a computer can be installed onto our promotional flash drives.  To find out more about the auto-run feature visit the USB duplication and data-loading page.

If you are new to QR codes try ‘scanning’ the QR code to the left and see where it takes you…

Whilst fashions and designs will inevitably change over time these are very much the stalwarts of the logo USB sector at the moment.

Twister

The Twister style memory stick is the “daddy” of the logo USB series of memory sticks accounting for over 50% of all branded memory sticks sold.

This fairly plain memory stick has become the preferred choice for many because there are some key elements to the design that make it a real winner.

• a) It’s available from stock in a wide range of colours and the plastic (or rubber) body shell can be pantone matched at very little cost to one of the primary colours from your logo. Pantone matched versions are getting more popular and look sensational.
• 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.

Chic

The Chic style memory stick is a classic shaped design that’s pleasing on the eye, takes print well and just looks good branded with a logo. Of course its important that you choose the right colour to compliment your logo but if you struggle to find the right standard colour the Chic can also be pantone matched.

Here a few additional reason why the Chic is a popular logo USB stick:

• a) Smart design – The Chic is a slim design and has a nice clean surface to print your logo onto with a metal trim to make it really stand out.
• b) Supports Pantone matching of body – if you’d like your corporate pantone colour matched to the body of the drive we can do this at an affordable price.
• c) Choose rubberised or glossy finish – there is no additional cost. When you place your order just let your Account Manager know which option you’d like.
• d) Integrated loop for key rings or lanyards – if you want to connect a lanyard or key ring to your branded memory stick then again it’s easy with the Chic because the design incorporates this.
• e) Cost – from our Classic Series its popularity means it’s one of the least expensive memory sticks so if you are working on a tight budget it’s a great choice without having to compromise on the quality or look of the product.

Probe

The Probe logo USB flash drive has real panache and versatility. It comes in a range of different colours and can have an alternative coloured cap to the body allowing you to make a real statement. Can be printed in up to 4 spot colours and on both the cap and body. It’s available in a Gloss and Matt finish.

Like the Twister and Chic the Probe memory stick can also be pantone matched. The key features of the Probe are:

• a) Choose rubberised or glossy finish – there is no additional cost. When you place your order just let your Account Manager know which option you’d like.
• b) Integrated loop for key rings or lanyards – if you want to connect a lanyard or key ring to your branded memory stick then again it’s easy with the Chic because the design incorporates this.
• c) Cost – from our Classic Series its popularity means it’s one of the least expensive memory sticks so if you are working on a tight budget it’s a great choice without having to compromise on the quality or look of the product.