USB2U
Get A Quote

Posts Tagged ‘USB Memory Sticks’

« Older Entries

Some Of Our Branded USB Memory Sticks Are Getting A Makeover

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Makeovers are all the range at moment. It’s difficult to switch on the TV these days without being challenged to “look 10 years younger” or “look good naked” or for the more adventurous to take the challenge of an “extreme makeover”.

Boots No.7 Twister USB

Boots No.7 Twister USB

Taking a lead from the more gentle, non-invasive approaches of these program’s we’ve applied the same principals to some of our branded USB memory sticks and come up with some interesting new looks and styles. Of course changing the colour of the rotating “clip” on a Twister style USB flash drive is not quite as radical as undergoing cosmetic surgery but by applying different coloured clips to the standard models that are usually supplied with a plain silver/metal clip the results are stunning.

The Twister USB flash drive has long been the best selling promotional USB drive and the introduction of these new colour options that allow you to mix and match the body shell with a “clip” in a complimentary colour almost guarantee its position as “top dog” in the branded USB memory sticks market for the foreseeable

Max Factor USB Twister

Max Factor USB Twister

future.

With a certain degree of irony its interesting to see that some of the first customers to embrace these “madeover” Twister USB drives include two leading cosmetic companies; Boots No.7 and Maxfactor. Of course you’d expect these brands to have their finger on the pulse when it comes to what’s current and hot in the market so perhaps it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. For them it was the black on black option that was the winner but for other clients like the National Trust the ability to mix a metallic finished clip with a pantone matched body shell to create a bespoke look was the way forward.

National Trust Twister USB

National Trust Twister USB

Following on from the success of the makeover to our Twister Range of USB flash drives we’ve now got our designers looking at a couple more products within our Classic Range to see if we have any other candidate for a makeover.

If you’re looking for branded USB memory sticks for a forthcoming event, show or promotional activity then just give our team a call and they’ll talk you through the options.

  • Share/Bookmark
Some Of Our Branded USB Memory Sticks Are Getting A Makeover

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in USB2U News | No Comments »

We’re All In A Lather Over Leather USB Flash Drives

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Lets face it if you’re looking for a promotional product these days then a branded USB flash drive has got to be on your short list of options. Yes, there are alternative products about but very few of them combine a good looking, desirable and useful product with the ability to pre-load onto the product all of your corporate sales material, product flyers, media files, web links and so on!

What else is there for less that a few pounds will be so warmly and gratefully received as a USB flash drive particularly when the flash drive is in effect a Trojan Horse that is carrying inside it all of your compelling sales information. Bear in mind that the few pound that the printed flash drives will cost you can often be offset by not having to print your glossy corporate brochures, your presentation slide and other corporate material. Good quality brochures cost a fortune and printing out and collating Powerpoint slides in-house is equally expensive so it makes sense to pre-load these onto a flash drive and hand them out.

People like and in many ways prefer to get their product/corporate information this way, particularly if they are getting it at a trade show or event where they are likely to be offered brochures and product information by lots of vendors. No one really wants to “lug” bags of brochures around all day – walking around trade shows and consumer fairs is hard work in itself before you weigh yourself down with tons of brochures many of which will find their way straight into the bin.

USB flash drives, because of their perceived value and their usefulness will get kept and they will get used and as soon as they are used your company data (if you’ve pre-loaded it onto the USB flash drives) will be presented to them. Even better as the USB flash drive is used it will generate more brand exposure and hopefully engender some brand loyalty.

Leather USB Drives

Leather USB Drives

But how do you choose which of the many thousands of USB flash drives is right for you, your company or your event/activity. Well, if you’re looking for a steer based on what’s popular then you can’t go far wrong with the Twister Model (sometimes also called the Rotate) but if you want something a little different with a touch of luxury and class about it then you might consider a leather USB flash drive. The leather versions of the USB flash drive are warm to the touch, tactile, robust and work incredibly well as a give-away or promotional product.

At USB2U we’ve just taken delivery of some exciting new leather USB flash drives which we think are well worth a look. Interested? – Give us a call for free on 0800 008 7079 or complete our no-obligation quote form on our web site.

  • Share/Bookmark
We’re All In A Lather Over Leather USB Flash Drives

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Promotional USB | No Comments »

9-Day Traffic Jam In China – Deliveries Of USB Memory Sticks Not Affected

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

In the UK we often bemoan the road traffic networks and what seem like interminable delays whenever you try and go anywhere. Holiday journeys, particularly on bank-holiday weekends, and trips around the M25 can bring to tears and emotionally “break” weaker mortals.

But, the odd few hours delay on the road networks in the UK are trivial compared to the 9 day traffic jams now being experienced in China along the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. This is an arterial road connecting coalmines to the ports on the eastern coastline.

China is incredibly an incredibly power hungry nation which is no surprise given their status as the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Their demand for coal to produce electricity to power their factories grows unabated with electricity consumption up a reported 22% in the first half of this year.

With a lack of suitable railway links from the primary coalfields the major trucking routes have now become almost impossible to travel on. The situation has been exacerbated by the closure of some mines on the grounds of safety putting even more pressure on a smaller number of coal producers all of whom truck their coal on the same Expressway!

Apparently the situation might get a little easier in 3-4 years when new rail lines are expected to come on stream but if you’re currently at the back of a 9-Day tailback I’m not sure how much comfort that is going to be to you!

Fortunately the factories that produce the branded USB flash drives are unaffected by the delays and problems this monster traffic jam is causing the Chinese economy albeit the USB factories, like many in China, do suffer the occasional power outage.

Twister USB Flash Drives

Twister USB Flash Drives

At the moment there are no reported delays to any orders for branded USB memory sticks but if you are considering buying branded USB flash drives its always better to plan ahead and allow yourself sufficient time to deal with most eventualities – in essence, if you can, build in a few extra days of fat into your timescales.

If you are up against it time wise then its worth remembering that some suppliers with offer a “rush” service for printed USB flash drives – this typically means they will supply you from their own plain (un-printed) stock and arrange for the printing to take place in the UK. This will ensure you get your flash drives in time but you’ll always pay a premium for this service.

  • Share/Bookmark
9-Day Traffic Jam In China – Deliveries Of USB Memory Sticks Not Affected

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Promotional USB | No Comments »

How Many Branded USB Memory Sticks Does £500 Get You

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

If you’ve only got a relatively small budget for branded USB memory sticks and you want to know how far you can stretch it then there are some steps you can take to maximise your spend. There are also some pitfalls to be aware of when trying to “trim” costs so that you don’t end up with poorly finished sticks that are prone to failure.

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

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

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.

  • Share/Bookmark
How Many Branded USB Memory Sticks Does £500 Get You

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Branded Memory Sticks | No Comments »

Pinpoint Sharp Printing On Twister USB Flash Drives

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

If you’re looking to buy USB flash drives with your company logo or brand printed on them then its critical that whichever flash drive you choose is capable of reproducing your logo as your designer intended it to be printed. If your company logo is complex, contains multiple colours and/or has graduated tints and shading then this becomes all the more important and to be fair challenging.

Twister USB

Twister USB

When it comes to printing not all USB flash drives are created equal with only a relatively small number of models supporting a full colour print process. One of these is the USB Twister Flash Drive, which is one of the reasons that it is the most popular flash drive on the market.

The colour reproduction on the Twister is pinpoint sharp and can easily accommodate the most complex of logos. Of course the old adage of “garbage in garbage out” applies so its important that you provide your supplier with the best quality artwork you can lay your hands on. This will typically be in a high resolution Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or Photoshop (.psd) image that is vectorised.

USB Credit Card

USB Credit Card

Jpeg images are simply not suitable to print from because they are a compressed file format and because of this information about the image is “lost” when the file is created. Whilst Jpeg images might look “ok” to the eye when they are used for printed the end results can often look blotchy and weak.

The Twister is not the only model that supports a full colour print process; others include the Chic, the Trident and the Slider. The USB credit card is also an excellent choice for complex logos because the full surface area can be used to apply a photo-realistic print.

Choosing the right model of USB flash drive for your project or event is never easy because there is lots of choice but if you do have a complex logo to print then you won’t go far wrong with the Twister.

  • Share/Bookmark
Pinpoint Sharp Printing On Twister USB Flash Drives

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Branded Memory Sticks | No Comments »

The Open Championship – USB Flash Drivers At The Ready

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Today sees the return of The Open Championship to St Andrews, which is recognised the world over as the home of golf. With all of the fun and games off the course over the past few months and with the Ryder Cup looming large on the horizon the tournament this year will be as interesting as ever no doubt helped a little by the challenging conditions that seem likely to greet the players. Hopefully golf will be the winner and we’ll be in for a cracking contest.

Golfbag USB Flash Drive

Golfbag USB Flash Drive

With a global TV audience of millions and an on-course crowd that will run into the hundreds of thousands the pressure is not just on the players but the event organisers, its sponsors and the companies that use the event to provide hospitality to its key clients, customers and prospects.

Of course for the fans it’s all about the golf and just being at St Andrews to soak up the history, the spectacle and the atmosphere and for following your favourite player(s) around the course. But for the on-course concessions, and for major brands that are a participant in the golfing industry like Nike, Ping, Titelist, TaylorMade, Adidas it’s an important event to connect with and sell to the fans and the legion of amateur players that turn up or tune in.

One of the more innovative options open to companies to engage with their customers at The Open is to use a branded USB flash drive. These can be customised in the shape of golfing equipment or golf balls and branded up with

USB Golf Ball

USB Golf Ball

the company’s logo or, more simply, a standard USB flash drive can be printed or engraved with the company’s logo.

Flash drives of this type are then typically given away as a “keepsake” or “memento” for clients attending hospitality days or by vendors who want to promote their products or services to the fans (customers) on the course. When you’re spending all day walking around a golf course the last thing you want is a bag full of brochures to weigh you down but a USB flash drive weighs next to nothing and can be pre-loaded to contain tons of information including sales brochures, video clips, media files, and web links. But, unlike just handing out a business card with a website address on you can pretty much guarantee a USB memory stick is going to get used and therefore your content is going to be viewed and your branded remembered.

  • Share/Bookmark
The Open Championship – USB Flash Drivers At The Ready

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Promotional USB | No Comments »

Branded USB Memory Sticks Not To Be Confused With Memory Sticks

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

A Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format that was developed and launched by Sony in late 1998. Memory Sticks are a proprietary design of Sony’s and are commonly used as a storage medium in Sony digital cameras, MP3 and MP4 players, hand-held consoles and video cameras.

Since their launch various “flavours” of the Memory Stick have been introduced including the Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo, the Micro and Pro-HD. These variants embrace higher speed formats and smaller form factors but of late it is a format that has struggled to keep up with the demand and usage of SD cards in the market. Sony have now introduced their own version of the SD card which to some has signalled start of the end of the Memory Stick.

Memory Sticks could theoretically have been used by the promotions industry as a portable storage medium but “memory cards” have just not caught on like USB Memory Sticks.  The primary reason is that these cards are typically used “inside a device” and therefore any branding is not on display, equally, the shape and size of a Memory Stick does not lend itself to being carried easily.

USB Memory sticks, also referred to, as USB Flash Drives, USB Thumb Drives and USB Pen Drives have become the dominant medium for portable storage. Not only are they incredibly easy to use but also they are lightweight, portable, easy to attach to a key ring or lanyard and these days they are available in a wide range of memory sizes up to a whopping 64GB! They also come in a wide range of styles, colours and shapes, which can all, be over printed, engraved or embossed with a logo.

Branded USB Memory Sticks

Branded USB Memory Sticks

If you’ve got data to save, store and transport then for the majority of people a USB memory stick is the preferred option. It’s partly for this reason that they are now commonly used by companies as a promotional product or a way of distributing data and information (e.g. at a seminar, conference or press event).

A USB Memory Stick rather than a Memory Stick, printed up with a company logo is a popular and sought after item with a high perceived value. Users of USB memory sticks not only value them but they use them on a regular basis and as such any brand printed on them gets excellent exposure and excellent and positive brand association.

By pre-loading sales brochures, price lists, technical data sheets, media files and web links onto the memory sticks before they are distributed companies can offset the cost of buying the branded memory sticks against the print savings they make.

So when considering Memory Sticks as a promotional tool make sure it’s a Branded USB Memory Stick you seek quotes on.

  • Share/Bookmark
Branded USB Memory Sticks Not To Be Confused With Memory Sticks

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Branded Memory Sticks | No Comments »

Why Choose Pantone Matched USB Memory Sticks

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

USB Memory Sticks come in lots of different shapes and sizes these days so it’s pretty easy to find something that’s suitable for your show, exhibition or event. There are literally hundreds of standard “factory” models available some with a cap that twists, some where the USB connectors retracts, and some with a removable cap. Most are manufactured from plastic, some from plastic and aluminium but if these aren’t quite what you wanted there are metal and leather models available also.

With all of these choices making a decision on which USB memory stick to go with can be daunting. Some of the important things to consider are:

  • Will the model I choose be big enough to carry my logo and show it off to best effect? Its surprising how “squished” a logo can look if you print it on the wrong style of USB memory stick and in terms of size not all memory sticks are created the equal. When getting quotes for memory sticks make sure you get high quality mock-ups of your artwork on any short list you’re drawn up.
  • If the memory sticks you are going to hand out are going to take some punishment in day to day use then you need to choose a model and print style that will preserve your brand. After all, you’re paying for the USB memory sticks so you want your brand to survive and not rub off after a couple of weeks! Some of the models on the market can be engraved (which is a resilient way of branding them) and some look great with a resin dome sticker. Dome stickers are commonly used by the computer and automotive industry and allow a protective layer to be applied over a high quality 4-colour print.
  • Capless Vs Cap. The most popular promotional USB flash drives are the capless versions like the Twister or Slider model and this is simply because there is no cap to lose but the shape of these models is not to everyone’s taste.

    Twister USB Flash Drive

    Twister USB Flash Drives

  • Choose a USB memory stick that comes in a colour that’s going to compliment and work well with your brand or logo. Don’t just opt of making a decision of choose black or another core colour because getting the colour right can make all the difference. Again, if you’re not sure get your supplier to work up a variety of examples for your consideration.
  • One way of lifting the profile of your branded memory sticks is to colour match the body shell to one of the primary colours from your logo. If you choose the right colour it can look stunning and if you don’t trust your own un-trained eye to select the colour ask your suppliers designer to work up some concepts for you.

    USB Flash Pantone Matched

    Pantone Matched USB Sticks

In our opinion Pantone Matched USB memory sticks look fantastic. You can pantone colour match a number of different styles and whilst it a little more work up-front when you are going through the decision making process it’s a little bit of pain that is definitely worth it.

  • Share/Bookmark
Why Choose Pantone Matched USB Memory Sticks

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Branded Memory Sticks | No Comments »

Beware of Fake Flash in Promotional USB Memory Flash Drives

Friday, December 11th, 2009

The continued popularity of USB memory sticks and flash drives for promotional and marketing activities has spawned a parallel market in the supply of cheap and often fake products.

Understandably procurement managers and buyers are constantly looking at ways to drive down their costs and it’s tempting when you’re offered memory sticks at a significant discount to order them. After all the pictures of the memory sticks you’ll be shown to support the order will look pretty much the same as other quotes you’ll no doubt have obtained from other suppliers so how do you know if what you’re being offered is genuine?

USB Memory Sticks

Firstly, lets be clear on what some of the typical scams are:

Quality memory sticks

  • Use of “re-cycled” and Grade B flash memory chips. These are flash memory chips that have been salvaged from other products or perhaps failed a full QA process. They are likely to be to correct memory size but they will have a much higher failure rate and will typically perform poorly, e.g. the read/write speeds will be slow.
  • “Masking” smaller capacity flash chips to make them look bigger. This is where the external flash disk and packaging is marked up to look like it’s a 1GB stick, the memory stick when connected to a PC will also suggest it has 1GB of storage but the actual capacity is say 256MB or 512MB. Extremely difficult to spot.
  • Using cheaper memory components rather than the specified brands. If you want a memory stick with a specified high-grade chip such as Intel or Samsung then you’ll pay a premium for these but you’ll also trust your supplier that these used. Once your memory sticks are delivered you don’t want to have to go through the hassle of breaking open a sample just to check that the internal memory is as specified.
  • Simple repackaging and re-labelling the memory sticks to make them look like they have more memory than they actually do.

The best way to avoid becoming a victim of these scams is to buy from a trusted and reputable supplier and ideally a local supplier that will take ownership of any post delivery problems or issues you might have.

Whilst it’s incredibly tempting to buy direct from some of the “factories” advertising themselves on the Internet think long and hard about it before you commit to an order. How for example will you deal with any problems once you have taken delivery of them? Typically once a “factory” has shipped they will not take the product back and your chances of recovering your money and taking action against them are slim to non-existent!

Also many of the supposed “factories” offering discounted prices are not really factories or manufacturers at all. Whilst they may have fancy web sites with lots of images of production staff diligently sitting at desks manufacturing and assembling memory sticks these are typically just “stock photos” and the factories will either be agents, middlemen or fraudsters.

The only way to be truly sure is to visit your supplier on site, check their factories and working conditions, check that they are complying with the current RoHS regulations and that they meet all the latest WEEE and REACH Compliance Regulations. Failing this just go with a local supplier that has already undertaken all of this due diligence.

  • Share/Bookmark
Beware of Fake Flash in Promotional USB Memory Flash Drives

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Branded Memory Sticks, Promotional USB | No Comments »

Branded Memory Sticks – Size Matters

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Sales of branded memory sticks continue to surge as more and more companies look to use them to promote their brand, their products or to use as a give away at conferences and exhibitions. Branded Memory sticks make great vehicles for brand promotion and brand development and the fact that you can pre-load them with tons of sales material (PDF brochures, videos, and presentations) helps justify their cost.

USB Sizes

After all if you can load all of your sales material onto a memory stick you can offset your print and transportation cost(s) and these can be significant if you are, for example, exhibiting or running conferences overseas.

When you’re buying branded memory sticks there are a couple of size related issues to consider to make sure that you get a product that delivers for you particular activity or event:

  1. Physical size: As in life not all USB memory sticks are born equal when it comes to size. A couple of years ago most memory sticks were pretty large with the average memory stick being around 7-9cm long and 2-3cm wide.These were (and still are) great if you need plenty of space to print you logo or message on but with the miniaturization of the core flash memory component there has been a comparative reduction in the size of the case or shell that the flash memory fits into. As a consequence the more popular memory sticks used for branding today tend to be the smaller models and styles. For example the ever-popular Twister (Swivel) Memory stick is 5cm long x 1.7cm wide and the new generation of “baby” twisters are a tiny 3cm X 1.5cm.Bearing in mind that the USB connector on the end of the branded memory stick is just over 1cm wide they can’t go much smaller and too small leaves little room to print you logo on!So, when choosing a memory stick consider carefully how your logo will look on it, don’t choose a model that’s too big and cumbersome and looks dated and bear in mind the bigger/older models can obscure other USB ports around them which then means you may need to consider supplying them with a USB cable. Similarly whilst the small, baby style of USB sticks look cute many of them are simply hopeless at carrying a brand and strap line and they are very easy to lose.
  2. Memory size: The most popular choice for memory size at the moment is 1GB (this will store 250 music tracks, 1,000 pictures or tens of thousands of documents). A couple of years ago is was 128MB and if pricing trends over the last couple of months carry forward into 2010 then 2GB prices will be on a par with 1GB.The key to choosing the right memory size is make sure the user has enough space on the flash drive (after you have loaded any data yourself) to use for themselves. You don’t just want the memory stick to be plugged into a PC, any pre-loaded data taken off or viewed and then discarded. To get positive brand association and exposure you want the user to carry and use the memory stick and ideally use if for as long as possible. So, choose the most memory you can afford within your budget. If in any doubt talk through the options with your supplier.

When it comes buying branded memory sticks size is important so take your time and get it right.

  • Share/Bookmark
Branded Memory Sticks – Size Matters

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Branded Memory, Branded Memory Sticks, Branded USB | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Share/Bookmark Subscribe