Effectiveness of Promotional Umbrellas

An umbrella is a straightforward, simple and sturdy product that has a high usage value to everyone. Adults, the elderly, teenagers and even children find a use for an umbrella irrespective of whether it is rainy or sunny. Now that the value of an umbrella has been firmly established, manufacturers are finding ways of making them more stylish and further widen their appeal. 

Are umbrellas effective as a promotional item? How? Why?
To talk about the effectiveness of promotional umbrellas, we have to compare umbrellas with other typical promotional items like pens, T-shirts, mouse mats and key rings.

Pens are cheap and getting them customized to reflect the company logo is also inexpensive, which is, certainly, a short term benefit. They tend be rather popular as promotional items, but they are not very effective as a long term promotional device because they tend to get lost easily and hence their shelf life and memory retention is extremely limited.
 
Promotional T-shirts are often poorly manufactured. Their colour runs and the material unravels. After one wash they get crumpled and no one even realizes when they have hit the bottom of the closet.

Mouse mats and key rings face the problem of unoriginality. As they are cheaper to produce they are favored as promotional items. The companies who choose to be too frugal about their promotional budget lose out in the long term. Once mouse mats or key rings are handed out at say industry events or trade shows, they can get lost or misplaced.  

Umbrellas can be forgotten too, but nowhere near at the same rate as pens. Promotional umbrellas are valued because they have a solid use. They protect from the poor weather and they are not as easily replaceable as pens.

Besides, unlike most of the above products (except maybe a T-shirt), an umbrella is a mobile advertising tool. Each and every person, who has been handed out an umbrella, is a walking and talking advertisement of your company or its product.