Credit Cards have been with us for nearly 100 years albeit the first general purpose cards were not launched until 1966 when the very first Visa card was issued. Whilst there have been huge developments in the underlying accounts associated with these cards and the cards themselves have developed to include integrated microchips and holograms the basic size and shape has not really changed since their launch.
The beauty of this for the promotional industry is that pretty much everyone now carries a wallet, purse or bag with them that has a compartment designed to carry a standard credit card shaped product. So whilst the promotional industry has historically not been in the market of giving away credit cards per se it has latched onto the potential to give-away products that fit neatly into a wallet or purse.
USB Credit Card
Examples of this include cards shaped calendars, card shaped calculators, card shaped CD-ROM’s and so on. As such it’s perhaps no surprise that we have now have the credit card shaped USB flash drive. These credit card USB flash drives work in exactly the same way that a “standard” flash drive work but the flash memory, the flash controller chips and all of the connectors etc. have been squeezed into a card that is barely any thicker than a standard credit card.
So not only do these cards slip easily and comfortably into any wallet or purse but they also have the added benefit of being large and flat enough to carry complex and intricate prints. So, if you’ve got a large logo, a logo with lots of colours or perhaps a logo with graduated tints then your options with a standard memory stick like the ubiquitous twister flash drive are limited but with the credit card version you can pretty much have what you want.
USB Credit Cards
The USB Credit Card just like any other USB drive can (and should) be pre-loaded with sales brochures, marketing material, media files, external web links and so on. These files can (if you allow them) be deleted by the user after they have been read and they can then use the storage space of the USB drive to save their own documents to. Pre-loading data files is a great way to get tons of useful information into the hands of your customers and prospects and in giving them a branded USB credit card you’ll be giving them something that will be used and stored in their wallet along with their other important cards.
In the credit card industry this used to be called getting “share of wallet” and there’s no doubt that by getting your brand prominently placed in a wallet or purse that you’re brand is going to get a real fillip.
