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“The pen is mightier than the sword …”

So wrote the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 in his play Richelieu; Or The Conspiracy, perhaps building on Napoleon Bonaparte’s quote: Il n’y a que deux puissances au monde, le sabre et l’esprit : à la longue, le sabre est toujours vaincu par l’esprit … which translates asThere are only two powers in the world, sabre and mind; at the end, sabre is always defeated by mind.”

That’s probably enough French history for this article.  What we’re really interested in is the humble pen (and we’ll include the even humbler pencil in that generic term) – its widespread use, even in this age of email and word processors, and the supreme marketing effectiveness of the promotional pen.

Think about it for a minute or two.  How often do you use a pen?  How many pens do you own?  How many pens are there on or around your desk, right now, bearing some kind of logo or marketing message?  And if we believe (and there is masses of data to support this, see below) that the more widespread your company’s logo and/or contact details appear the more likely people are to remember you (and therefore, ultimately, to buy from you), then the pen is clearly a vital part of any marketing strategy.

Yes we live in an age dominated by keyboards and tablets and smart-phones, and while their increasing usage has undoubtedly contributed to less use of the pen, rumours of its demise are greatly exaggerated (to coin another phrase).

Here’s an interesting article for “the other side”:

The demise of the pen

but even if the predictions are true – and frankly it seems unlikely to me – the pen will be with us for a long long time.  And therefore so will the opportunity to publicise your business using a promotional pen – every time someone wants to scribble a note or a message or a reminder or an action list …

Before we move on, here are a couple of interesting links which put a slightly different slant on things:

Fountain pen sales on the increase

Do you ever write with a pen or pencil?

Tell me some more about promotional pens!

First, take a look at this link (lots this week, there’s a lot to say!):

The Power of Promotional Products for Brand Recognition

 Some highlights:

  • 66% of people recalled the brand on a promotional product given to them within the last twelve months
  • 79% are likely to do business with the company
  • 87% kept the promotional item for more than a year

These are very impressive – and revealing – statistics, adding weight to what seems to be the intuitive belief that the more often a client or potential client sees your brand or details, the more you’ll be remembered and considered for buying decisions.

I’m convinced.  How can I buy them?

It’s really easy.  Click here to browse our on-line catalogue, here to choose from a very wide range of videos showing different pen designs, or here for our home page.  Alternatively call us on 01737 458 124 and we’ll be delighted to help you – and explain the return on investment that you’re likely to achieve.  Just don’t ask for any swords …

Next time

In our next article we’ll be returning to the topic of printing services which we covered several articles back, but with a slightly different slant.