1. 

   USB2U Product Range

   The first thing we have done to help select the right branded USB memory stick is to separate them into 11 categories:

   1. Classic USB Range – A collection of the most popular branded USB flash drives.
   2. Metal USB Range – A little tougher and durable and can be very sophisticated and stylish.
   3. Leather USB Range – An executive and professional option that allow for a stylish embossing.
   4. Credit Card USB Range – A very functional use of a USB flash drive that allows for a large printing area making them great for promotion.
   5. Key USB Range – An easily portable and impressive use for a USB memory stick that usually makes an impact.
   6. Pen Range – Perfectly living up to the name ‘USB pen drive’ this range doubles in functionality and is perfect for conferences.
   7. Wood Range – A tactile option that shouts ‘eco-friendly’.
   8. USB People Range – This fun USB option expresses individuality and can be personalised to a profession or personality.
   9. Novelty Range – This branded flash drive range includes wristbands, carabineers, batteries, metal cans, etc.
   10. Eco Friendly Range – This range of flash drives are a mixture of other models but the cases are recycled.
   11. Custom Range – This range is completely dependent on you, if you can imagine it, we can make it.
       

       USB2U Sample Product Range

2. Now you understand the various branded USB memory stick ranges it is important to understand what your company flash drives will be used for and what you want to get from them, that will largely help you decide which model is most applicable to you.  For example, if you need them for purely promotional purposes and want to hand as many as you can out at a trade fair then a cost effective flash drive from our classic range would probably be best.  However, if you want to say something through your flash drives to your customers, such as, ‘we are an experienced and professional brand’ a logo USB flash drive from the leather range may be more fitting.
3. What artwork do you want on the custom USB flash drive?  If you just want, say, your logo and a web address then all of our flash drives will usually accommodate for a standard logo size however, if images and a lot of colour will better portray your brand then something from the credit card range will be perfect for a large printing area and full colour printing.
4. The budget for your promotional USB memory sticks will no doubt be a major deciding factor.  We do not publish the prices of our flash drive due to the volatility of the cost of the flash drives but if you make an enquiry via our enquiry form we will get back to you within 2 hours (during office hours) with the costs and help you in your quest to find the perfect promotional USB memory sticks within budget.

These guidelines and points to consider should give you a good idea of the kind of branded flash drive that is right for your company.  However, if you are still no closer, then give us a call or make an enquiry and one of our dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable account managers will help you find out which USB model is best for you.

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…

USB Memory Sticks Used at Graduations

The graduation process is a good celebratory end to a three or four year course of study.  It can be however, quite expensive.  Behind the ceremony and the awards, graduations can cost a lot of money for the students on top of three years of accommodation and living costs.  Graduates need to pay for gowns and these have to be bought with a specific company so the cost is dictated and there is no shopping around for price.

Photos are another cost for those graduating.  Everyone knows that the graduation is about the photo taken holding the scroll and wearing the gowns.  Like the gowns, the photos can only be ordered through one company and they have an interesting price structure.

The photography company for the graduation sold the photos in packs.  The prices of the packs were a bit of a surprise because they were quite complicated.  There were packs with different sized images, packs with frames, packs with single photos, packs with family and single photos etc.  The only constant was that as the amount of photos and photo sizes went up so did the price of the pack.  There was one thing about their pricing that was easy to understand and made a lot of sense, for an additional cost you could have all of the photos that they took saved onto one USB flash drive or CD.

Along with CD’s the photography company was using branded USB flash drives to save the images and sell to graduates.  We are selling more and more branded flash drives to photographers as they move from CDs to USB memory sticks.  We are slightly biased but there are many reasons why USB flash drives are better than CDs.  For example, the device is more impressive, transfer speeds are much quicker, the branding is much more impressive and one of the biggest differences – the memory stick is re-usable.

Customers are more than likely going to copy the photos from the stick onto their computer and keep the flash drive for personal use, something which cannot happen with a CD.  The USB flash drive then acts as a marketing aid and a continual reminder of the photography company.

So for those companies and especially photographers out there wondering whether they should change from CDs to branded USB memory sticks we hope that you make the right decision and embrace the change.

In the early days of business and trading, marketing was performed in the market place where the businesses and customers were gathered.  Marketing was much less varied than today but it was simpler as businesses knew where their customers were and how to get their attention.

With the introduction of newspapers and the wireless more marketing options were available for companies to reach their target market, but it also started to separate customers.  Businesses would have to decide which newspaper best reached their target market, advertise with them and hope that they reached the right readers.

Today however, this problem is much more problematic.  The invention of the television, computer games, Internet and multiple other entertainment mediums have led to a wide range of marketing streams and in turn have further separated customers into segments of one.  Not only are customers becoming harder to reach but they are interrupted from the media and entertainment they want with TV and radio adverts etc.

The challenge therefore is to become creative and clever in the marketing that is used to gain the attention of the right people.  Some companies spend millions on market research to discover which mediums they should use, but really what they should be doing is going back to basics.

When you give a brand new, shiny USB stick to your potential customers branded with your logo, you instantly catch their attention with something that is both visually appealing and useful to them.  We find that there is something a little more interesting and valuable to a USB flash drive than an old fashioned business card, leaflet or even a CD.  A large majority of times your customer is going to plug the memory stick into a computer to use it for file transfers to find out what has been pre loaded onto the USB stick they have been handed.

In that moment you have the complete and undivided attention of a perfectly targeted customer.  For the price of a USB flash drive, a fraction of the cost of any large marketing campaign, you have a few minutes of valuable engaged advertising.

Another advantage of this type of engaging marketing is that files, documents and information that would not be possible to communicate via other forms of marketing can be placed in front of the people you want to read it.

Our USBs can be preloaded with any type of marketing material that deserves the engaging attention of your potential customers.  The files can be set to auto-run when the USB drive is plugged into a computer so that the information isn’t missed and the drives can even be partitioned so that the information is protected whilst the rest of the drive can be used for data storage.  What’s more, the data loading is free (up to 100MB)!!!

To find out more about our data loading services click here.

Once you have selected your supplier (See Tip 3) it’s worth understanding the manufacturing process, as this will give you a great appreciation of some of activities and the supplementary questions that you may wish to ask. On the face of it you would assume that the manufacturing process for Customised USB Memory sticks would be simply. However, pulling back the veneer shows a complex and challenging process.

There are 3 hardware components that make up a Branded Memory Stick:

• The Flash Memory Chip, which comes in various memory sizes from 64Mb to 16Gb.
• The PCBA Board which houses the Chip, Electronics and USB Connector
• The casing that houses and protects the USB Memory Stick. These come in a myriad of shapes and designs.

Your UK supplier will be contracted to the factory/s that will purchase each of the above three components and assemble them. The following is the typical process a reputation factory would follow:

1. They will purchase the Flash Memory Chips from companies such as Samsung, Hynix, Micron, Intel or other OEM brands. Care that they do not use B grade or recycled flash memory.
2. All chips will be tested before attaching into the PCBA
3. Any data that needs to be added onto the USB Branded Memory Stick is typically loaded at this stage. Again all units are QA tested. A screen print of the data will be sent to the client for sign-off.
4. The factory will purchase the housing from dedicated manufactures. Again whilst certain models look the same it is important that only quality material is used.
5. The next step is for the factory to screen print, emboss or engrave logos onto the shell of the USB Memory Stick. This can be a long and drawn out process if completed by hard, however most of the larger factories have fully automated printing processes. A proof will be sent to the client for signoff.
6. The factory’s production line is then responsible for inserting the PCBA into the housing.
7. Once the units have been assembled a full QA is again undertaken.
8. Any accessories are added to the USB Branded Memory sticks, e.g. key rings.
9. Finally they are packing into gift boxes or bubble bags.
10. A courier picks up the goods, which need to be cleared through the originator’s and UK customs.

This entire process can take between 7-14days

The UK suppliers should undertake their own QA process before despatching these to you.

View Tip 1. Here, Tip 2. Here, Tip 3. Here.

Branded Memory Sticks - Click to enlarge

The growing dominance of the once humble USB memory stick is something the promotion and advertising sector spotted early on. Think about it, its rare to attend a conference, show or seminar and not have been offered at least one promotional memory stick. The reason is understandable – not only are they incredibly popular but they are an excellent way to distributing sales material, links to web sites, media files, presentation slides and lots more besides.

Of course in accepting a branded memory sticks (often pre-loaded with data) you are complicit in the on-going promotion of the “givers” brand beyond the event. It is though a real “win win” for both parties because the giver gets great brand exposure and brand association with a highly regarded product whilst the recipient gets something truly useful rather than a cheap/tacky gift that will be discarded quickly.

branded memory sticks

But, a word of warning before you rush to buy branded memory sticks; there are a number of important factors that you must consider:

Am I getting A Grade (new not recycled) Memory Chips?

In the world of flash memory chips not all chips are equal and it’s not just the memory size that is the differentiator. Flash memory chips provide the storage capability inside a USB flash drive and these memory chips are graded by the industry. Only “Grade A” flash memory chips are new and provide certified transfer speeds and guarantee access to the full amount of advertised memory on the chip. Other grades are likely to have failed the factory QA process or will have been salvaged from other products. The consequence of using or buying anything other than Grade A chips is likely to be seen in terms of high failure rates, slow/read write speeds and an inability to access or use all of the claimed memory.

Before you order your memory sticks make sure you are getting new Grade A flash memory chips in your memory sticks and choose a supplier you can trust. Its very difficult to spot the use of cheap chips from a visual inspection of the delivered goods. expected and its possible you’ll overpay for what you’re getting. Always check with your supplier that they are using Grade A memory chips

Should I order USB 1.x, USB 2.0 or event the new USB 3.0 and does it matter.

In short make sure you order USB High Speed version 2.0 memory sticks. Anything using USB 1.1 is old and slow and whilst version 3.0 might be tempting because its new you’ll pay a huge premium for USB 3.0 and its not necessary.  Whilst you might get USB 1x versions at a bargain price anyone you give them to will quickly get frustrated with the slow transfer speeds and abandon them.

RoHS Compliance – You need to understand what this is.

RoHS or the Restriction of Hazardous Substances to give it its long hand  applies to thousands of electrical and computer components imported into the EU. The RoHS legislation is designed to protect the citizens of the EU against hazardous chemicals and substances and its legislation that you and your supplier must comply with. If you are found to have imported non-RoHS compliant products into the EU then you have no defence by arguing that your supplier was to blame. You are collectively responsible and the fines for non-compliance are significant. Before you order anything ensure you ask your supplier about RoHS compliance and if necessary get copies of RoHS certificates.

WEEE Compliance – Educate yourself about what it means to you

The WEEE directive was implemented to encourage reuse and recycling. The Directive states that 65% of all IT kit must be recycled. Some items like old monitors, PCBs (printed circuit boards), computers and batteries should be treated before disposal. It might surprise you but the small, humble USB memory stick falls into this category. As such you ought to advise anyone you give the branded memory sticks to of their obligation under this directive. Failure could result in prosecution.

Choose a reputable supplier who you can trust and who can demonstrate a proven track record.

There are lots of companies springing up (many operating from back bedrooms) that will offer to supply you with branded USB memory sticks and custom flash drives. Whilst their prices may look attractive the above points demonstrate that there is more to buying memory sticks than just price. Choose the wrong supplier and you could get more than you bargained for. You have a corporate responsibility to understand your obligations and to ensure you comply. Ignorance is not a defence.

A reputable supplier will understand the issues and compliance requirements. They will be able to provide you with copies of RoHS and WEEE certificates should you want them for reassurance. Branded memory sticks are fantastic promotional products but just like anything else you buy the better informed you are the better placed you will be to secure not only a great commercial deal but a deal a deal that does not come back an “bite you in the bum”

Memory sticks are a great way to get your brand promoted, they have real and perceived intrinsic value, they’re portable, useful and they look great printed or engraved with company logos. Not only this but, the price of memory sticks has fallen to a point where they are now a viable option for many activities and events but, when shopping around for the best deal you do need to have your wits about you.

When sourcing printed memory sticks it’s understandably easy to be led by price and price alone. After all, times are hard at the moment and budgets are tight and it’s critical that you demonstrate to the budget holders that you’ve secured the best deal you can. But, don’t let price be the only arbiter because making a buying decision based on price alone, particularly from a supplier you’ve never dealt with before can this can come back and bite you where it hurts!

Here’s a true tale that illustrates this point – A customer recently asked us to beat a price for a large quantity of 1GB branded memory sticks. The customer in question had gone directly to a factory in China and was presenting us with an incredible price challenge. Despite our best efforts we couldn’t get anywhere near the price and the order was placed on the factory.

When the order arrived and the customer started to load data onto the memory sticks they were surprised to find that although the sticks had 1GB labels on them that they could not load more than 128MB of data! On checking with the factory they were informed that the internal memory was 128MB not the 1GB ordered and paid for. The memory sticks had been “dressed up” to look like 1GB sticks and the factories response was that it was the only way the could meet the customers target price!

The factory has refused to accept the memory sticks back so the client is stuck with thousands of branded memory sticks that are useless for their needs. Whilst litigation would normally be an option, cross border litigation against a factory in China is a little more challenging!

The moral of the story is that if a price seems too good to be true then it most probably is and when sourcing branded memory sticks you are best to use a reputable, local company that have a proven track record of delivery and support.

At USB2U we have been supplying branded USB Memory sticks since 2002. We only work with known and trusted factories that we have met/vetted and whose QA processes meet our strict standards. We also ensure that all memory sticks we import are fully RoHS compliant and meet all the latest WEEE and REACH Compliance Regulations. With USB2U you’re in safe hands and we’ll always do our utmost to offer you the best price we can whilst ensuring your needs are fully met.

Back in 2002 when USB memory sticks started to make their way into the consumer market they were very much a novelty, albeit an expensive novelty with a typical memory stick only offering 16MB or 32MB of storage.

Fast forward 7 years and today a typical USB memory stick has a memory of around 4GB but costs a fraction of the tiny 16MB’s that were on offer at the start of the decade. As a result USB Memory sticks are everywhere and used by everyone from kids in the junior school to executives of global companies. They are easy to use, they’re incredibly handy, they’re light and portable and people can’t seem to get enough of them.

These facets make them an ideal choice as a marketing and promotional tool. Lets face it the objective of any promotional product that carries your company’s brand is to get your company or your product remembered. If it is unable to do this simple thing then the marketing money spent on it is likely to be wasted.

Ask any professional advertising or PR company and they will universally agree that the best way to make your company and/or event memorable is to use promotional items that are useful to your target audience.
A common mistake is to try and use a niche product that very tightly focussed towards you customer or audience, e.g. writing pens for journalists, golf umbrellas for a business audience, mouse mats or bags for a more “techie” crowd. The best promotional gifts are those, which have the widest appeal and are likely to have some real use and endurance.

It’s for this reason that branded USB Memory sticks make a truly excellent choice as a promotional give away. Everyone you give it to will be delighted to receive one and will almost certainly use it.

If you’re looking to go the extra mile and really make an impact then you might want consider a custom or bespoke

custom usb memory stick

version. Custom USB memory sticks are manufactured in a 2-D or 3-D shape or design that reflects your company’s products or brand. The USB Memory Stick then becomes unique to you. Pretty much any design/shape is possible and the end results really do look fantastic and create a “wow” factor with the recipients.

Custom USB memory sticks are a little more expensive but this additional cost (most of which is a one-off costs and is for the mould set-up) is more than recouped by the improved performance of the product in terms of brand development and recall.

One of the key decisions to make when purchasing Branded USB Memory sticks in the storage capacity.

Before delving into which capacity to select a short technical overview as is useful to understand the measurement terminology used when defining memory capacity.

Electronic data is measured in ‘bytes’. Multiples of these are:

•      1 Kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1,024 bytes

•      1 Megabyte (MB) is equal to 1,024 Kilobytes (1,048,576 bytes)

•      1 Gigabyte (GB) is equal to 1,024 Megabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes)

Branded USB Memory sticks range from 32MB to 16GB. They double up in size from 32MB:

•      32MB (almost obsolete)
•      64MB
•      128MB
•      256MB
•      512MB
•      1GB
•      2GB
•      4GB
•      8GB
•      16GB

You need to be aware that all Promotional USB Memory sticks need a small amount of capacity to allow it them work. As a general rule of thumb around 5% of the storage capacity will be used by the Memory Stick to manage how it stores the data on the stick.

So, how much data can each stick hold? The amount of data that can be stored depends on the type of the data, such as MP3 audio files, digital photos, word files etc. and the quality for example the resolution of photos.  As a benchmark 512MB memory stick would typically store about 250 photos.

When deciding what capacity to select for your Branded USB Memory sticks you need to consider the following.

• What is the objective of your Promotional USB Memory stick campaign. If it is to provide specific data or information that is pre-loaded, then the size should match the amount of data to be loaded. If the requirement is to allow the user to use the Memory stick as a promotional keepsake, then there needs to be sufficient headroom over and above any data that you may wish to load.

• What budget do you have? The higher the capacity the higher the price. However, the price differential between a 64MB and 1GB is no longer that great.

• The market for flash memory is volatile and is driven by supply and demand. Therefore, it is worth checking if there are any special offers on different USB Memory capacity. For example it has been know for 512MB to be cheaper than 256MB.

• If the Branded USB Memory sticks are gifts for prospects or existing key clients, you need to consider the perceived value of the item you are giving. So if budget is limited it may be prudent to buy less of higher capacity Branded USB Memory sticks.

Based on the above criteria, currently the most popular capacity for Branded USB Memory sticks is 1GB, but watch this space!