Doing what I promised in the first place

Looking back over recent weeks, it seems that this blog has become a place where I can rant about pretty much anything I like. We all of us need a means by which to vent some steam. Some of us blog, whilst others climb the nearest clock tower armed with nothing more than a twisted sense of morality and an M16 assault rifle.

None the less, I took a look at the very first post I ever made - one where I mentioned that I would share products and ideas with you, as well as opinion on all things promotional. So this week, rather than add more salt and vinegar to the massive chip on my shoulder, I thought I would tell you about one of my favourite products.

It's a USB stick.

Yup, that's about it- no massive build up, no fanfair, no parade of pretty girls in short skirts doing somersaults (the budget wouldn't stretch to it), just simple information.

OK, it's not just a USB stick. No, this is something that could set your next USB purchase aside from the competition. You see, everyone just wants to get their hands on the cheapest stick available, and all that means is that everyone is giving away the same gift to the same potential client base. The result? Nobody wins.

What you need to do is give them something special. Do you remember when USB sticks were the newest and most exciting product on the planet? I do. In fact, I recently found an archived email from 2004 where I quoted a customer on a 128Mb drive - the price was £112 and that was considered reasonable!

Things have certainly changed a lot, and right now the prices on USB seem to be spiralling out of control. I'm only able to hold prices for 2 days before they jump by another 50p, but that's not the point of this week's blog.

The point was to tell you about the Stickydrive. Stickydrive is software that lives on your flash drive. It enables you to give your customers a bespoke interface, built in music player, photo viewer, full document indexing, unlimited weblinks, video and - here is the best part - you can update their content remotely!

Think about it. If your company regularly uploads data onto a stick before handing it out, this new method could be so much more powerful. You can sell sponsorship opportunities right up to the date of your event. You could upload video of your keynote speakers that delegates can take away on the same day. You could let customers know about new products and special offers and all from a piece of merchandise that is being used all over the world.

This really is something you need to see to fully appreciate, and I'd be more than happy to come and present it to you or to welcome you to our showroom here in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire.

Rarely do I get excited about a product. Frankly, after 7 years, it's easy to believe that I've seen it all before. Let's face it, a USB stick with a floating plastic fish inside it is still just a USB stick - the fish does nothing to enhance your marketing potential, but this time we've actually got something that will.

Have a good week in business and feel free to post comments. You never know, we might get into one of those long streams which start out all pleasantly and which rapidly descend into name calling and insults about each other's mums. Seriously, have these people nothing better to do?