Umbrellas are an often-overlooked item in the world of promotional products. Many people choose to focus their promotional efforts on common items such as pens, coffee mugs, mouse mats and key chains. These are indeed great promotional items to distribute—they’re inexpensive and have clear uses that make them desirable to many people. However, umbrellas have some attractive marketing advantages that make them an ideal promotional product that should definitely not be under-rated.



Promotional Umbrellas are Practical

Practical items—such as pens, key chains and coffee mugs—make ideal promotional products because they have an obvious function that can’t be easily replaced by another item. Promotional umbrellas meet this requirement very well; in fact, much better than other promotional items. People who are unlucky enough to be caught in the rain without an umbrella might use a newspaper, handbag or coat to try and keep the rain off, but these items will never take the place of an umbrella.

Promotional Umbrellas are Portable

Portability is an important concept, too. Small, light items that are easy and convenient to carry around are ideal promotional items because they can be carried around and used in a variety of places. Pens fit this requirement of course, but items such as mouse mats definitely do not. In fact, nobody would bother to carry around a mouse mat, because every computer that needs one will already have one. Umbrellas, on the other hand, are made to be carried, and that makes them ideal portable items.

Promotional Umbrellas Feature a Large and Highly Visible Print Area

Pens are practical and portable, but they have absolutely tiny print areas—and the way in which a pen is held obscures the printed message quite effectively. Mouse mats are covered by a mouse, coffee mugs by a hand, so their larger print areas are not quite as effective. An umbrella features a large area for your printed message, and when the umbrella is opened, that message is displayed very prominently, with nothing to obscure it. Pens, mouse mats and coffee mugs are all very effective promotional items, but if you want a large and very visible promotional message, an umbrella is the superior choice.

Promotional Umbrellas Generate Public Advertising

Office-oriented products are great when you want to generate advertising in the work places of people you do business with. However, the advertising they provide is not public advertising. If you’re looking to raise awareness of your company with the general public, these types of items won’t do the job as well as an item of clothing, a bag, or an umbrella. A promotional umbrella is designed to be used outdoors, so your advertising message is seen by a potentially large number and variety of people every time it is used.

Promotional Umbrellas Generate Long-Lasting Advertising

Promotional pens are one of the least expensive promotional items available; however they’re fairly short-lived items that often get lost or forgotten about. In contrast, a well-made umbrella can last for several years. If you purchase promotional umbrellas with extra features such as a water-resistant Teflon-treated canopy, or a storm-proof design that increases the stability of the item, the extra money you spend will be more than paid for over the life of the item.