Selfie sticks, talking umbrellas and other fads & fashions…

Once, a Mont Blanc pen said it all, or luxury crystal, or a set of leather luggage. But today’s changing consumer trends and the following promotional products trends mean that customers are looking for more contemporary lifestyle gifts that reflect their daily use of smart phones, tablets and the like.

By their very nature tech products are sleek, exude power and reflect popular tastes in design. But not always! Enter the latest fad – the so called ‘selfie stick’. It’s the ultimate tool for the selfie fan who must have it all! A Bluetooth remote control couples with a telescopic pole plus clamp for your smart phone, all of which enables users to take a decent (or indecent!) selfie at the touch of a button.

With product lifecycles shortening rapidly it’s hard to stay in touch with what’s ‘hot’ and ‘what’s not’ – digital photo-frames, hand held camcorders and video cameras are becoming just about obsolete while the uptake of smart phones and tablets continues to grow.

Over the next few years trends in global tech will also likely see off other mainstream promo items such as the computer mouse and flash drives as touch screens, voice and retina control and cloud storage change our digital lives.

Selfie sticks are not the only passing fad . A Bluetooth umbrella that senses when it rains, plays a tune and allows you to take calls through the brolly or smart phone gloves with built-in MIC allowing users to literally ‘talk to their hand!’. 

Among the latest promotional products trends you will also find ‘portable power’, or the ability to keep business devices charged and connected for longer. Power banks, literally, come in all shapes, sizes and styles. Some of the more creative are even shaped to look like ancient stones – handy accessories to take camping, or with suction cups built-in to attach your device while charging.

One thing for sure though, power banks will be around for quite some time until smart phone and tablet manufacturers find a solution to longer battery life. Until then the promotional market has a lucrative and fashionable technology gift which is guaranteed to be used each day and, like all other promotional items, act as an important brand reminder.

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Jason Markwick

Having worked in Promotional Merchandise for the last 25 years I have been exposed to all aspects of the industry. Starting out as an account manager working with some of the worlds leading brands, I have learnt to understand the needs of a client, manufacturing processes, and what it takes to deliver a successful promotional campaign that is on brand, on time and within a given budget.