The once humble USB flash drive is rapidly becoming the de-facto way in which people save and transport data around. Of course email and file sharing remains popular for sending/receiving data to and from 3^rd parties but if you just want to carry your work, homework, music, game files etc about with you then its hard to beat a USB flash drive for portability and convenience.

Twister USB

Because they are so popular and because they have a high-perceived value they are now being widely used as promotional items and by companies who give them away to staff, to delegates at conferences/events or as a sales promotion. As such literally millions are produced each year and printed up with a company logo before being “given away”.

In response to the growth in the market for USB flash drives overprinted with a company logo the flash drive industry has responded and now manufacturers hundreds of different designs and styles ranging from small plastic models, to leather USB flash drives, flash drives in the shape of a credit card to metal USB flash drives to name but a few! In fact the choice is now so vast that it often overwhelms people looking to source printed USB flash drives for the first time.

If you fall into this “overwhelmed by choice” category then its perhaps worth knowing what USB flash drives are the

USB Forklift

most popular with other companies and why.

Branded and Promotional USB Flash Drives come in all different shapes and sizes, some small, some large, some with caps, some that retract and some with a “twisting” cover. Most accommodate lanyards or key rings, some are manufactured from plastic, and some from metal and increasingly some are made from recycled materials like wood or bamboo.

Its also possible to have a bespoke (custom) branded USB flash drive that is made in the shape of one of your companies products, e.g. a fork lift truck, a car, a drink bottle, In fact pretty much anything you can think of can be manufactured!

Despite this world of possibilities the most popular promotional flash drive used by companies, organisations, schools and universities to promote their brand, to use as “giveaways” to hand out to their staff or students remains the USB “Twister” model (also referred to as the Swivel model).

Like most great designs it’s the simplicity that makes this particular flash drive a long-term winner. The Twister prints up really well, its small but not too small, it works with a lanyard and/or key ring, there’s no cap to lose and it now comes with a range of different coloured “twister clips” so you can produce a “mono” effect (black body with a black clip or white body with a white clip).  These simple elements combined with the option to pantone match the body shell to a company’s brand make it a real favourite.

Mono USB Twister

Hot on the heels of the Twister USB flash drive are the newly launched ultra thin USB credit cards. These are the same size and shape as a standard bankcard and they’re only 2mm thick! The real beauty of the USB credit card is the fact that they offer a much larger print area – in fact all of the surface area of the product can be printed and when done well this can deliver stunning results.

The growing popularity of the USB Credit Card “might” threaten the crown of the “twister” but its early days.

So, if you’re considering USB flash drives as a promotional item or company giveaway and you want to know what’s working for most companies then, based on what’s happening in the market, it’s the Twister!