Wr i t i ng I ns t rumen t s by Kristina Valdez Put A Pen In It Writing instruments are one of the most popular promo products, and consumers can never have too many. Whether it’s signing a bill or drawing in a coloring book, these promo products keep your client’s brand in an end user’s hand. If anyone else needs to borrow a pen, they’ll happily pass it along. When the check comes at a restaurant, my friends and I always debate. We whisper to each other, “Should we steal this pen?” Especially if it writes like silk, and we aren’t the only ones. In 2017, Bon Appétit wrote that pens had become “restaurant postcards,” replacing thematchbook. The foodmagazine declared “the best way to remember ameal is to steal a pen.” It’s not just happening in restaurants, either. In 2012, Paper Mate surveyed office workers, and 100% admitted to stealing a pen. But one out of five did it on purpose. Most (50%) will steal a pen because it writes smoothly or effortlessly. For others, it’s because they like the way it looks (36%) or simply because they like the color (34%). But there’s another reason why someone would swipe a pen—because it’s meaningful. It’s the pen they used to buy their first home, the pen froma first date, the pen they used to sign amarriage license or to open a new business. Pens and other writing instruments aren’t just harmless wins for our kleptomaniacal tendencies – they have been known to steal (the show), too. In animatedmovie Zootopia (2016), rookie bunny cop Judy Hopps, along with her reluctant fox partner JackWilde, solve amissing persons case with a carrot pen. This chunky carrot pen is multipurpose, functioning as a tape recorder, too. The pen is an invaluable tool, especially in critical moments. Out of the hands of a bunny cop, writing instruments can still make a statement. Nearly 70% of promo pen recipients who had received one pen in the past year remembered the name of the advertiser, according to PPAI’s study “Writing Instruments in U.S. Households.” Jaymie Cook, northwest regional sales manager at California-based supplier Goldstar Pens, says writing instruments are perfect for brand awareness, the GROW 38 | OCTOBER 2022 |
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