The Promo Column
Stop the world… D
oes the world change quicker as we get older? It certainly seems so. Two things recently gave me pause for thought on this philosophical issue.
The first was the announcement by
Volvo that from 2019 it would produce only electric vehicles, ending production of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. This was closely followed by the British government announcing a ban on petrol and diesel-powered vehicles from 2040. Is the petrol driven symbol of personal freedom is replaced with a souped-up milk floats? Sorry, yet another reference anybody under 30 wonʼt get. In the olden days kids, people used to be employed to leave milk on your doorstep before you got up in the morning – a bit like Amazon will be doing soon, but with drones. Anyway, I digress. The question is, will car ownership seem worth all the trouble and expense if our four-wheeled pride and joy is a souped up mobility scooter? We all know what they are, and some of us are not far off speccing them up… for a friend.
Don’t get left behind
The world changes, and like the milkmen of yore, itʼs easy to get left behind. Three yearsʼ ago, car tax discs disappeared, creating no need for promotional disc holders. I wonder how many millions of them are sitting in warehouses waiting for a new use to be discovered – lightweight coaster, waterproof camping wallet? Just bin them. But for every progressive development, there is a comforting move back to times gone by. I have become something of a vinyl bore of late after rescuing my old record collection and a turntable from long-term storage – thank you mum! One new stylus later – they still them – and Iʼm the master of the decks. Iʼve even invested in special storage cubes, all to the bemusement of my youngest son who stood befuddled in front of a spinning slab of plastic wondering what on earth was going on. Just as well I didnʼt put on a picture disc!
Growing markets Whoʼd have thought a few years ago that there would be a growing market for record storage, or knitting needles, or jam jars, or collectable playing cards? Life doesnʼt always more forward in a
| 78 | September 2017
... I want to get on. Change comes quick and the promotional sphere must move fast to exploit opportunities, says promotional products commentator Stuart Derrick.
linear fashion. Itʼs often more like one jump forwards, one back, and several shuffles to the side. For merchandise, this means that many things come back into vogue, or find new life in a slightly different form.
As mentioned last month, the fidget spinner is a great example. A toy that has been around for years as a distraction aid for ADHD-sufferers became an overnight sensation. Hip Canadian band, Arcade Fire even released their latest album on a limited- edition fidget spinner USB. Priced at $109, it quickly sold out.
So, it seems that multi-use is back. You
donʼt need to tell MacDonald Fyne which has launched a fabulous new 6-in-1 pen on to the market. As well as writing, the
Twisted Frog’s golf repair tool kit
experimenting with variations, including internal pockets, pen loops, and contrast stitching. The result is something truly personal as there are millions of variations.
Another cool piece of innovation comes from UK golf accessory company, Twisted Frog. It launched its golf repair tool at the start of the year and has received great acclaim since, not least from clubs and their green keepers. The tool allows even the biggest duffer to repair the damage their wayward shots make to greens, as they play.
6-in-1 tool pen from MacDonald Fyne
flexible tool is also a stylus, spirit level, ruler, screwdriver, and scales. Talk to it nicely and it might make you a cup of tea. Seriously though, with the growing amount of stuff I feel duty bound to carry with me when I leave the house, anything that eases the burden a bit is very welcome.
And what is a pen without something to scribble in? Call me old-fashioned, but at this time of year, as the kids head back to school, I get a frisson of excitement about new stationery. How satisfying is it to make the first mark on a virgin page of a smart new book? Think of all the possibilities ahead – it could be a great novel, poem, sitcom script, or maybe just a neat to-do list of things that will probably never get done. Whatever it is, the thrill is the same, especially if the notebook is as lovely as the new range from Juniper.
The company has also upgraded its original notebook builder website as an interactive sales tool, which allows distributors and their clients, to build a visual of their own bespoke notebook. You can choose the colour, trim and paper requirements, as well as
Product innovation The Midlands company was chosen as
the ʻOfficial Repair Toolʼ for the recent 2017 Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. It supplied all competitors with the new Aero and PRO DivA golf tools during the four-day event at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire. The DivA, with patent-pending MTech technology, enables faster repairs of pitch marks and divots on the green. It is available in two styles, PRO or AERO, both of which come in a wide range of colours and can be customised with a company name or logo.
Another great piece of innovation comes from Magic Concepts. The business produces fiddly games that predate the fidget spinner. It has a range of products that flip into different configurations revealing various messages designed to keep the ecipient intrigued. Now it has come up with a new twist by adding augmented reality to products.
This works by using a smartphone app that makes a 3D image appear on the screen, which can be played with, shared and commented on. Itʼs ingenious stuff. What will they think of next? I bet you can hardly wait until next monthʼs column to find out.
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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