Fortunately not all memory sticks are “born” equal and for some everyday punishment and abuse is like water off a ducks back. When you’re looking to source USB sticks for students, contractors working outside, architects spending lots of time outside on-site or staff working in near military conditions it is critical to know which USB sticks will be robust enough to stand up to the rigours of daily use.

Capsule USB

The vast majority of promotional and branded USB flash drives are manufactured from plastic, lightweight aluminium or a combination of the two. These drives are absolutely fine for general everyday use but they won’t necessarily stand up to lots of physical punishment and the certainly won’t be waterproof.

If you are looking for a branded USB memory sticks that is incredibly tough, is manufactured from metal, has a screw cap to protect the USB connector and is waterproof then you should consider the Capsule USB model from USB2U.

Capsule USB Stick

These capsule shaped USB sticks available in a wide range of memory sizes starting at 512MB and the body shell can be spray painted to whatever colour you want it to be. Your logo will then be applied over the top the body shell colour you’re requested. Typically these Capsule USB sticks are supplied with a lanyard or keyring attachment so that you don’t lose them! Its one thing being near indestructible but that does not help if your absent minded or prone to losing things once you’ve put them down somewhere!

Whilst they may be tough there is no compromise on the aesthetics because the finished product when spray-painted and logo’d up looks every bit as good as its more “namby pamby” cousins.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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!

Things to do to ensure you are getting value for money and that you don’t overspend unnecessarily include:

1. Shop around. There are lots of companies offering to supply branded USB memory sticks these days so make sure you get at least a couple of quotes and make sure you get a fully inclusive price. Its perfectly acceptable for the actual carriage costs to get the sticks to you to be quoted separately but all other set-up costs, origination costs, data-loading costs etc. should be factored into the unit price when you are making comparisons.
2. Don’t pay for lots of unnecessary memory. USB memory sticks come in various memory sizes starting at 64MB and going all the way up to 32GB. The most popular memory size for a promotional USB stick is between 512MB and 2GB. USB memory sticks of this size are large enough to carry your companies brochures, sales material and media files as well as being large enough for the recipient to use for the storage of their own data.

   If you are looking purely at “lowest cost” promotion giveaways then think about using a 64MB or 128MB stick. These will be the cheapest options. The downside is the usable memory on them won’t make them that attractive to the user because they’ll fill them pretty quickly but they still have a reasonably high perceived value and they’re useful for distributing your own information.

3. Printing is expensive and consequently the more colours you want printed on the USB memory stick the more expensive it’s going to be. It’s worth considering reducing complex logo’s with lots of colours to a single or two-colour version. Single or two colour prints still look great you just need to be more careful about choosing a body colour for the memory stick that works with the logo.
4. Don’t leave it to last minute to orders your branded USB memory sticks otherwise you’ll have to buy locally held and locally printed stock. Many USB suppliers will hold some local stock but you’ll have far less choice in terms of style and memory size and you’ll pay significantly more to get them printed locally rather than during the manufacturing process at the factory. A lead-time of around 10-14 days should be ample.
5. Stick to the more popular factory designs like the Twister USB flash Drive or other “classic” models. You’ll pay a premium for wood, metal and custom USB flash drives.

USB Memory Stick

In your search for value you should also be on the lookout for the following:

1. Companies that offer a price that simply looks “too good to be true”. If one company’s price is significantly cheaper than the other quotes you’ve been given then it’s worth double-checking that you are not being offered Grade B (re-cycled) flash modules. It not uncommon for these to be passed off as “new” by some less reputable companies. The USB memory sticks will look and feel the same as the genuine article but Grade B chips are notoriously unreliable and tend to be very slow at transferring data.
2. Make sure the suppliers you’re talking to have a contact phone number and a proven track record of delivery. If things don’t arrive on time or there is a subsequent problem with your order that you need to resolve then it’s important that you are able to get hold of them. With growing amounts of business conducted over the its increasingly difficult to know just how big or small the company you are dealing with actually is. Don’t be afraid to use resources like Google Earth, Companies House and other Trade bodies to check them out.
3. Be aware that the price for USB memory sticks is volatile and driven by a number of factors including the currency markets, the supply/demand for flash chips around the world and Chinese Holidays! Because of this it’s important to get any price locked down and confirmed in writing.

Branded Memory Sticks

As a general rule of thumb you should be able to buy around at least 165 USB Memory sticks that are supplied in a gift box with a 2-colour print. These will be USB sticks at the bottom end of the memory size but they should be supplied with new, Grade A flash chips and controllers.

Custom USB

One of the primary objectives of any product launch event has got to be getting your audience informed, excited and enthused about your company and your product(s). You want them to go away from your event as advocates; you want them to write positive articles about the product, to post articles on their blogs and to use social networking sites to create plenty of “chatter” about what they’ve seen and what you’re launching.

Typically at any launch event there’ll be plenty of new information to disseminate and then distribute. You’ll have executives and product managers briefed, primed, and well rehearsed to deliver a knock out pitch, your Q & A’s will have been developed and honed to perfection and the venue carefully chosen to create the right ambience and put your audience in the right frame of mind.

With all of this attention to detail don’t forget that at the end of it all when the lights go up and the audience goes to leave you want them to have at hand all of the information on your new product or service. Loading them up with piles of brochures, copies of FAQ’s, technical sheets is unlikely to be popular. You could of course email this information out after the event or post it onto a web site or you could do something a little more interesting and unusual and pre-load

Custom Flash Drive

all of this information onto a customised (bespoke) USB flash drive.

A Custom USB Flash drive can be manufactured in the shape of your new product or designed to look like your product brand. It will be unique to you and your company, it will function just like any normal USB flash drive and done well it really grab people attention. In addition to carrying your product launch information its highly likely that the flash drive will get used by the recipient after the event to save and carry their own data around. This on-going usage of the flash drive all adds to the viral effect that you need to underpin your launch.

Bear in mind that if you do order custom USB flash drives that you need to allow around 3-4 weeks for the design and production of the flash drives. The data-loading can be done during the manufacturing process or any time right up to the event itself.

Obviously at USB2U we’re a little biased and we are firm believers that USB flash drives are tough to beat as a promotional product because they offer so many benefits to the recipient and of course unlike many other promotional items you can pre-load all of your sales material, brochures and media files onto a memory stick. The obvious benefit of this is that you can offset the cost of buying the USB sticks against the costs you’d normally incur to print your brochures (and of course any other transportation and storage costs associated with moving brochures around).

USB Portable Speakers

These savings can be sizable and often mean the business case to justify the purchase of branded memory sticks is easy to make. But, there are some circumstances where other promotional products such as high quality, portable speakers might be a better choice.

UBS recently supplied branded portable speakers to their new student intake. USB memory sticks were rejected in preference to the speakers because they were simply a better fit with the message and sentiment they wanted to convey. But, these are no ordinary speakers but portable speakers with a great sound quality a great look, and without the need to worry about replacing batteries. The speakers are automatically recharged when connected to a PC via the supplied USB lead and of course they are an ideal companion to any iPod or MP3, MP4 player.

At USB2U we don’t just supply branded USB memory sticks and speakers but pretty much anything with a USB connector on the end of it. If you’re looking for a promotional product give us a call and talk us through your requirements and we’ll come back with a number of options for you. Remember we have our own in-house design team so we can work up mock-ups and samples for you before you commit to your order.

Twister USB

The Twister Flash Drive has and continues to be the most popular of all the USB Flash Drives that we sell. Whether it’s to our corporate clients or to schools and universities the Twister is most commonly requested and most often ordered. The reason for its popularity is a combination of factors:

1. It’s compact and lightweight. The Twister flash drive is only marginally smaller than most other drives but it just seems smaller but without being so small that you’re in danger of losing it. The sizing seems to be just about spot on, not too big and not too small.
2. There’s no cap to lose. The Twister (also known as the Swivel or Rotate) takes gets its name because part of the body twists around to protect the USB connector and because of this no cap is needed and of course there is therefore no cap to lose!
3. The Twister flash drive looks great printed, engraved or using a “dome sticker”. The “clip” the section that is printed is a reasonable size, its flat and it carries print well.
4. There are lots of standard colours to chose from and that will compliment any brand or logo but if you want a specific colour then with the Twister Flash Drive its not a problem because pantone matching is FREE! Pantone matched Twisters look great and really help to lift the overall effect of the printed flash drive. Its important to choose a colour that compliments your logo so if you’re in any doubt ask our design team to mock up some examples for you.
   

   Magners USB Twister

5. The “clips” on the Twister Flash drive can be changed very easily, which means you, can change the design or print at a later date without having to buy new memory sticks – you just order some more printed clips and pop them on!
6. The “clips” on a Twister can be supplied in different colours with White and Black being very popular at the moment. Black clips attached to a black twister look particularly good if you have a nice strong and vibrant logo to work with.
7. Attaching a lanyard or key ring attachment is easy because there is an integral loop built into the rotating clip on the twister.
8. The Twister is the most competitively priced of all of our branded flash drives and is available in sizes ranging from 64MB to 16GB albeit the most popular memory size tends to be 1GB or 2GB.

There have been plenty of new pretenders that have tried to steal the crown of the Twister Flash Drive over the years but they have all be vanquished. For now at least the Twister is the King and nothing in the near term looks set to change this.

After all branded flash drives done well look cool, trendy, and to use some overused expressions synonymous with the f

USB Bench

ashion industry are very much “of the moment” and are a “must have” accessory that “just screams” that you’re “on trend”. Seriously though branded flash drives or memory sticks as they are sometimes called are just a great way of handing out your portfolio, magazine shots, reviews and information on the collection, the designer and so on. All of this information can be pre-loaded as files, movies, clips and web links onto the memory stick which in turn can be branded with the house brand.

Its so much easier to hand out a small, compact and stylish branded flash drive that contains all of these information than printing loads of photos and reams of paper. Not only is it easier but its more cost effective to duplicate them onto a memory stick and its certainly cheaper to transport a few hundred memory sticks to your event venue than it is to truck thousands of printed sheets, brochures and CD’s.

And the real beauty of a flash drive is that they have a life beyond the event or show because people like to use them for saving and carrying their own data around. So, it’s important if your order them to choose a version that has enough memory to incentivise the on going use of the flash drive. This way you not only get immediate benefit at the show/event but you will hopefully get a brand advocate that will continue to use your flash drive and promote your

Branded USB

brand long after the end of the show/event.

There are lots of different designs and styles of flash drives to choose from and even if any of the “standard” designs don’t do it for you remember that you can commission your own bespoke design. Pretty much any shape can be produced so don’t be afraid to let your creative juices flow but do remember that custom versions take a couple of weeks longer to produce. Cost wise they are only marginally more expensive and this is primarily because of the extra tooling and set-up costs.

If you’re not sure whether to go with a standard version or custom model then give your supplier a call. They should be able to guide you through the options and help you choose the right memory size for your event.

Leather Flash Drives

Coupled with this you can’t escape the fact that people just like being given them. Flash drives are after all very popular for storing and carrying the growing amounts of digital files that are now a part of every day life. Whether its photo’s, music files, video files, games, work or homework files everyone can find a use to put a flash memory stick to!

But what do you do it you’re target audience is high net worth individuals or senior executives from companies attending a seminar or maybe you’re launching a product that has a high-ticket price. Most flash drives are manufactured from plastic or a combination of plastic and metal and when they’re printed up they do look excellent but if you really want to go the extra mile then its worth considering leather USB flash drives.

Leather flash drives are available in a range of different styles albeit there are not as many options to choose from as the “standard” plastic/metal ranges but, the leather ones all look incredibly classy. Leather flash drives are embossed or engraved rather than printed. Where the logo is engraved into the leather it’s there for good irrespective of how much wear and tear the flash drive takes. A logo printed onto a standard flash drive can wear off after a while, particularly if the flash

Leather USB Sticks

drive is attached to a key ring, but leather versions just age gracefully!

From a cost perspective leather USB flash drives are just pennies more than their plastic or metal counterparts but this extra cost (albeit small) is more than repaid in terms of “wow” factor and the sheer quality of the finished product.

Its always difficult to convey the real benefit of leather flash drives versus plastic or metal off the page and whilst the photos go someway towards illustrating how good they are you really need to see them in the flesh to see the real difference. If you’ve not seen a leather memory stick then ask your supplier to send you one. Most good suppliers will carry samples of leather versions and will happily send them out for evaluation free of charge.