There's a solar eclipse happening on August 21st, and sun-gazers in the US will be able to view this (awesome!).   There are a lot of companies that are producing 'solar eclipse glasses' to allow them to see this event without frying out their eyeballs ... the problem is that many of these items aren't actually safe as advertised. 

NASA's standards for eclipse-viewing safety:
1)  Have certification information with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard
2)  Have the manufacturer's name and address printed somewhere on the product
3)  Not to be used if they are older than three years, or have scratched or wrinkled lenses
4)  Do not use homemade filters or be substituted with ordinary sunglasses - not even very dark ones - because they are not safe for looking directly at the sun

Just be mindful of what's being purchased and be sure the above standards are all met ... "frying out your eyeballs" doesn't sound like much fun.

Using online surveys, 2016's research was done with over 100,000 consumers across the US.  Consumers from every state were represented for the first time - expanding just beyond the major cities in suburban and rural America!  Below shows more pointed, specific results that show the value of promotional products across America.  Results from prior Ad Impressions studies were incorporated into these results to allow for a greater depth of analysis and statistics (thousands of in-person and online interviews have been conducted with business people and students in key cities around North America, Canada, Europe and Australia).

To see this study in full, see here for a direct link to the PDF.
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US consumers were asked which promotional products they currently owned.  Promotional items were defined as items that include pens, t-shirts, drinkware, calendars or any items that have an advertiser's logo on them (usually given away for free by companies to consumers).

You'll see that t-shirts are the items that is most often owned by promotional product recipients in the US, followed by drinkware, writing instruments and outerwear.  All promotional products have strong ownership though, with one-quarter or more of recipients owning each.
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Respondents were asked to rate up to three promotional items they had received in the last 12 months.  Promotional items were defined as items that include pens, t-shirts, drinkware, calendars or any items that have an advertiser's logo on them (usually given away for free by companies to consumers).

Respondents were asked how long they keep an typical type of promotional item.  Across all promotional products, the average was just over seven months.  Some products, such as calendars, can stay around for about a year, while others, especially heath and safety products and writing instruments, last for about six months.  Calendars, which have the longest staying power, are the one item used most often for reference purposes, such as referring to a name or phone number.

Consumers who receive promotional products will typically give them to someone else when they are finished with them, thus furthering the advertiser's reach.  In the US and Canada, nearly two-thirds of promotional products that are not wanted are given away.  In fact, in most countries, more than half of consumers report that they will give away a product that they are finished with rather than throw it out or file it away.

Consumers want products that are, first and foremost, useful to them, especially when it comes to the more practical items such as writing instruments and USB drives.  Here, usefulness outweighs attractiveness by at least five to one.   However, that's not to say that attractiveness isn't important, especially if the item needs to be worn.  For outerwear, attractiveness is a very close second to usefulness in reasons for keeping the product, with more than half of those who own outerwear reporting to keep it because it is attractive.  If you want a consumer to use the product for reference, then calendars are the way to go.  Apparel items, whether they be shirts, outerwear or hats, are cited as the most enjoyable to have.

Respondents were asked how many branded items they currently had in their homes and/or offices.  As you'll see below, people in the US own an average of 9.8 promotional products.  The number varies according to US region, country, gender, race, age and political affiliation.

The average number of impressions each promotional product received was calculated.  The number of impressions a product makes was derived from multiplying how long a recipient has the product to how many people they come in contact with each month while using it.

In the US, BAGS continued to generate the most impressions (5,772) of any item measured in the study.  This is because bags are used often in public places where they can be seen by many people.  Other items that deliver a large number of impressions are writing instruments, hats, outerwear and t-shirts.

While the exact ranking of impressions changes somewhat from location to location, the overall list of products generating the most impressions is consistent.  Wearables consistently deliver a high number of impressions, and in the US, bags deliver the most impressions every year.

Items that create the fewest impressions tend to be those intended mostly for one person, such as health and safety items and USB drives.  The value of these items is more in the connection they make with the user rather than the total number of impressions generated.

Promotional products remain less expensive per impression than most other forms of advertising. The investment in promotional products is modest, more targeted and allows for much greater levels of interaction with consumers than other forms of advertising.

As the chart below illustrates, promotional products have a lower cost per impression in the United States than prime-time television advertising, national magazine advertising and newspaper ads, and a similar CPI to radio and Internet advertising. Plus, while all of these other forms of advertising are often passive, advertising specialties allow for much more active interaction, such as storing valuable information on a USB drive or carrying groceries or other items around town in a promotional bag.

Also, consider that when consumers receive promotional products, they are often the exact market segment the advertiser is trying to reach. Banks aren’t simply mailing out pens to consumers of all ages from all areas, whether or not they have a branch there. Rather, they are giving out the pens only to current or prospective customers in the geographic areas that they serve. This targeted approach to advertising is much more difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in other forms of mass market advertising.

More good news: The cost for promotional products are not expected to increase markedly in the next few years, making them a more stable, reliable and innovative way for advertisers to reach consumers. Even more good news: Consider that the cost of producing a 30-second radio or television commercial is often out of reach for all but the biggest advertisers. Many would have their entire advertising budget eaten up before they even aired the commercial more than a few times. This isn’t true with promotional products. Companies from the smallest local businesses to the largest Fortune 100 companies have access to the best that the promotional products business has to offer.

Works like a flag and a Post-It® Note combined!  Each pad includes four 50-sheet sections (200 total page markers), on a 3" x 4" heavy backer.  Imprint your logo and message in 1-4 colors!  Made in the USA with globally sourced materials.

Earlier in the year, you may have heard how companies were using "locks" for phones during events and presentations - basically you can put your phone in a pouch or case that will lock so nobody can use their phones.  Afterwards, the pouch or case is unlocked or you can walk out of a designated 'phone free zone' for it to unlock.  These "locks" help create a phone-free/distraction-free environment. 

An item like this can also be really useful for people who get easily distracted by their phones will driving!  There will literally be no urge to check your phone while driving (yes, I will be getting one for myself).  Maybe these should also be handed out to people who like to check their phones during movies...

This little polyester pouch has an RFID shielding inner liner that blocks all cell, WiFi and Bluetooth signals - that means no incoming phone calls, text messages and notifications while the phone is sealed inside the case.  After removing the phone from the case, all voicemails, text messages and notifications will appear.  Patent pending.