No matter the name you use – USB memory, USB flash drives,  USB Drives – custom USB memory sticks are one of fastest growing promotional product categories we’ve seen in awhile.

The popularity is really driven from the wide acceptance these drives now have in our everyday lives – you’ll see them on quite a few key chains shuttling data and pictures around, and they’re now almost as much a school supply requirement as a no. 2 pencil!

And it’s that ‘utility’ that makes USB memory an ideal promotional item.

The most effective giveaways are ones that the recipient will use over time.  This means your logo or message will be seen frequently over a long period, and it’s no bad thing that your organization is associated with something that people really value.  Plus, if presentations are a regular part of your business, there’s nothing better than loading the presentation onto a drive and leaving that drive – and presentation – with your client!

The popularity of USB memory sticks has meant an explosion of styles, colors, and memory sizes – you won’t have a problem finding something that fits into your branding guidelines.  Memory size is the determining factor when it comes to price – less memory means lower price. However, keep in mind that less memory alos means less utility for the client,  so generally it’s best to buy the most memory for the money. Sizes of 1GB, 2GB and 4GB are the most popular.

Check out Amber’s video below on one of our more popular drives – she does a better job of touching on some this than I do! And if you’re looking for one of the best-looking USB drives around – check out this blog post.

So, some members of the team here (who shall remain nameless – you know who you are!) had a bit of fun with a new product that we offer – customizable USB People. After having a ‘USB Kevin’ made (pictured below – check out the details including a pen in the shirt as I’m known to do and my Livestrong (TM) wristband – clearly these guys have too much spare time on their hands! I’m partial to the one that looks like I’m running at least the USB Kevin is in good shape!) they created a contest for folks in the office that showed ‘pictures’ of USB Kevin in various places around the world. The person who correctly identified all the places my USB friend had been, won a real USB Kevin and tickets to a ball game. They even sent some USB Kevins to my house so my family could enjoy them (and enjoy them they did…the giggles as they pulled my head offf were a little alarming actually). My eldest theorized that USB Kevin with 1GB of memory represented a huge improvement in brainpower over the real thing.

Anyway – it’s another example of how the clever use of a promotional product makes a connection with people and gets a conversation started. Need to do any of that as part of your marketing initiatives?