The use of USB memory sticks, or Flash Drives as they are sometimes called, for promotional purposes has grown dramatically over the past few years and it’s a trend that looks set to continue.

The popularity of branded memory sticks is to a large degree underpinned by their inherent value, their ease of use, the fact that you can pre-load them with data and because they look fantastic printed up with a logo or brand. There are lots of different styles and models to choose from and they come in a wide range of standard colours but they can also be pantone matched to a specific colour if needed.

Falling prices over the past couple of years has also helped their popularity and historic practice of loading cheap unit prices with “extra” charges for origination, print set up, data loading, colour matching and lanyards are now, in the main, a thing of the past. So with lower prices, greater transparency on pricing, faster lead times and a larger range of products to choose from the position of the branded memory stick in the promotional gifts sector looks assured.

The vast majority of branded flash drives are used as promotional “giveaways” where it’s not necessary or important to “bind” the memory stick to the person that it’s being given to. But, in some circumstances its not only useful but necessary to know which particular flash drive is given to which person and in these circumstances you need to have some unique marker on the stick so that it can be tracked back to the recipient.

The reasons for doing this vary from:

• Flash Drives distributed to students by Universities are often supplied with a unique serial number on each flash drive so that the university can record which student has which stick. This is useful in the event of sticks being lost or “going missing” because when found or recovered they can be traced back to the original owner.
• Memory sticks distributed with sensitive information are often uniquely numbered so that in the event of loss (and subsequent recovery) it’s clear who was responsible for the loss.
• Creating different batches of flash drives with different data sets loaded onto them. Printed flash drives all look the same (unless you’ve ordered batches of different colours or printed a slightly different brand or logo on them) so it’s handy to have a discrete serial number printed or etched onto them to help create and manage batches. Useful for data-loading, distribution and audit purposes.

Branded memory sticks can be serial numbered in a variety of ways including printing, etching and engraving. The format of the numbering, or lettering is fully customisable and it can be as discrete or as obvious as you wish. Just speak to your supplier and they should be able to show you the options.

© By Phil Battison

Phil is part of the team at USB2U. USB2U is a specialist supplier of Branded and Promotional USB Memory Sticks. We offer fast turnaround times, excellent advice and support and free design and mock-ups. If you are considering Branded Memory Sticks or want custom USB memory sticks then please contact us – we ‘d be delighted to hear from you.