When I was 10 years old, my fifth grade teacher made us write a paper that answered the question, ?What does the year 2000 look like to you?? Back then I was fully anticipating a future filled with all the gadgets and doodads I had seen on the Jetson's. I wrote about the flying cars, the assembly line of morning rituals and the robot maid, Rosie. I was completely convinced that by the year 2000, we would all be living in huge high-rise apartments with flying cars, hovercrafts, and jet packs. Well the year 2000 came and past and it looked nothing like my paper. Although, now in 2007, we don't yet have those flying cars and interactive robot maids, we do have some pretty amazing technological gadgets that have expanded and enhanced both the consumer market and, more importantly, the promotional products industry.



With all the technological advances over the past ten years, the consumer market has created and designed entirely new products available for everyday use. Innovations like the cell phone and even DVD player have revolutionized the way people think, shop and want because companies and businesses face them with more and more options. "Technology is an extremely popular category and has a much more condensed life cycle, with new products and subcategories cropping up daily. Not only has the technology category expanded from flash drives to digital photo frames and computer accessories, technology has impacted other categories.... Writing instruments have become hybrids with the laser pointer, stylus and even USB pens," explained Lindsay Hoylman, marketing specialist of Leed's.

For the promotional product industry this means that companies not only have more and better products to provide to their audiences, but also it makes the industry as a whole more mainstream, said Jeff Lederer, vice president of Prime Line in a recent article called ?It's Evolution, Baby.? This article also says that technology products like iPod and mp3 accessories are as popular in the promotional product industry as in the retail market. Technology products can therefore help your campaign and company fit the needs and wants of a more advanced audience. With the overall increase in products, you can bolster the effectiveness of your entire campaign within a larger, more hi-tech consumer group. This also makes your company more current and aware of the changing market in the minds of the audience.

Products like mp3 player accessories, USB drives and digital camera accessories represents some of the most popular items to use in a promotional product and marketing campaign. They all provide plenty of space for logos and branded messages. They are all current and hot items in the market which gives your brand a trendy feel to the audience. This updated image can improve the overall perception and image of your company, thus making you a desirable and usable brand. With increased use and product satisfaction, your brand will have an overwhelming positive effect on the target and set you ahead of the competition.