Buying promotional umbrellas? In addition to choosing the right style, the right color, and making a variety of other design decisions, you’ll also need to think about the quality of the items you want to distribute. Just how important is quality, anyway? After all, they’re free gifts, right?

Let’s say you invest in a large supply of cheap umbrellas, and start handing them out to clients and customers. If they’re very poorly made items, it’s almost guaranteed that those items will fall apart within just a few uses—and the people you gave the items to will arrive at home soaking wet because the promotional umbrella you gave them just wasn’t of sufficient quality to last. Even if your clients are too polite to mention that the umbrella you gave them fell apart soon after they received it, they’re still likely to think of you a little bit less kindly than they used to. If you give the umbrellas to customers as part of a promotion, you may not be too worried about what they think of you personally—but low quality promotional items may make those customers think that your own goods are also of low quality.

Either of these two scenarios completely defeats the purpose of giving promotional items at all, as you are creating the opposite effect to that which you intended. Low quality items will reflect badly on you and your company, and in addition, those items won’t get used often. A well-made umbrella is a great walking advertisement thanks to the visibility of the item and the large print area it offers, so it makes good business sense to ensure the longevity of the message by choosing well made items.

If you’re planning to distribute a large number of promotional umbrellas, it’s often tempting to go with the cheaper items and save yourself some money. However, it may be a better option to perhaps revise your plans and instead buy fewer more expensive items to ensure that the umbrellas you give will weather a few storms.

To make a really good impression with the promotional umbrellas you distribute, consider purchasing items with some extra features that make them more convenient or more hard-wearing. There are several options you can choose to add value to your promotional umbrellas.

A well-made mini automatic umbrella is a very convenient option. These can be folded into a small size that can be stored in a small pouch, which can easily slip into a handbag or the glove compartment of a car for easy access. Another possibility is to choose umbrellas with canopies that have been treated with Teflon. This Teflon treatment coats the fabric of the canopy to make it more water resistant, helping the umbrella to dry more quickly. Alternatively, consider umbrellas with specially created vented canopies. These vents allow strong gusts of air to blow through the umbrella, increasing its stability and making an umbrella “blow-out" a less likely occurrence.