Tag Archives: umbrella

Promotions & Branding

Custom Umbrellas – Expand Your Marketing Reach

Custom umbrellas are a great way to promote any business! Not only are they reusable providing you with repeat exposure for your brand, but putting your name on an umbrella has many other benefits. Umbrellas are a great choice for any promotion, providing you with a lot of exposure for years to come. They also make wonderful marketing tools!

 

Get Noticed!

Picture this – it’s raining in your town and everywhere you look you see – your logo! Walking down the street, jumping in and out of cabs and cars, and entering and leaving buildings. Not only do you get repeated exposure, but you can get a lot of it if you come up with a good strategy for distributing them!


Consider handing them out during tradeshows, as customer and employee appreciation gifts, or during special promotional events. Better yet – do it all!

 

Selecting a Style

Once you have decided on a custom umbrella for your promotions, the next step is picking one out. There are many styles of umbrellas available, and they come in numerous colors, shapes, and sizes. So, which one do you pick? Let’s cover the basics to help you make your selection.

Mini Umbrellas

This seems pretty self-explanatory, but what makes them mini? The size of the arc, or the dimension of the canopy, when the umbrella is fully open, ranges from about 36” to 46”. Many of them fold to a length that fits into most purses and briefcases, and are sized for use by one person.


Vented Umbrellas

A vented umbrella is what you want during stormy or windy weather. If you live someplace where winds are prevalent – a vented umbrella is a must! These umbrellas are made to be extra strong with sturdy construction to keep them from turning inside out during heavy wind and rain and are usually windproof.


Folding Umbrellas 

A folding umbrella is just what it sounds like. It folds down to a manageable size to make it easy to carry and store. These umbrellas are great to keep in a briefcase, purse, or backpack.


Golf Umbrellas 

Golf umbrellas are big! Meant to cover two or more people, or maybe to set in a golf bag to keep equipment dry, these umbrellas are strong and make a great display for your logo. Ideal for promoting or sponsoring a tournament, golf umbrellas have extra-large imprint areas, and are an impressive way to display your logo.


Clear and Safety Umbrellas 

The name says it all on these. Clear umbrellas have a translucent canvas to you can see where you are going without having to look out from under the umbrella. Safety umbrellas have the added protection of being reflective so others can see you even in the dark. They have one or more reflective strip, so the user is seen more easily at night and during dark and stormy days. These are ideal for people that spend a lot of time walking around time, or for children so commuters can easily see them.


Inversion Umbrellas

How many times have you become soaked getting in a car while trying to close an umbrella? A regular umbrella closes downwards, often leaving you and your clothes wet. Inversion umbrellas are unique and close outwards, pushing the wet rain away from you, and keeping you and your clothes dry.


Auto-Open Umbrellas 

As the name implies, these umbrellas open at the touch of a button, and are very convenient for getting in and out of cars and building doors. They make it easier to maneuver when you are carrying multiple items so you can get the umbrellas open and closed without getting wet.


Manual Open Umbrellas 

The good old fashion manual-open umbrella. Many people prefer these, so they have better control over how quickly they open and close so they don’t have to worry about pinching their fingers.

Promotions & Branding

History of the Umbrella

The use of the umbrella dates back over 3,500 years to ancient Egypt, and possibly China, Assyria, and Greece. The first known use of the then called “Parasol” was in Egypt, which was typically made from palm leaves attached to a stick. Parasols were meant to protect users only from the sun, not rain or other elements.

Status of Wealth and Nobility

Umbrellas during this time symbolized wealth and nobility and were used to protect royalty so they could maintain the pale skin their status demanded. Hieroglyphics were discovered from ancient Egypt showing gods and royalty depicted with parasols being held over them by servants.

The Greeks and Romans perceived umbrellas as a luxury item used by women of affluence and status, which were often carried by servants. Men during this time deemed umbrellas a feminine item.  Their pride demanded they not use them, and instead wore hats and coats. After the fall of Rome, the use of umbrellas was almost non-existent, due to the loss of wealth and status in most areas.

Sometime in the 11th century, China created the first waterproof umbrella, but due to the high price of leather and silk, they were mainly used by royalty and the extremely wealthy. Signaling power and affluence, a tradition of multi-tiered, elaborate umbrellas began and spread across the region. The Chinese Emperor reportedly carried an umbrella with as many as four tiers, while rulers in nearby regions had umbrellas with as many as 24 layers.

Mainstream Acceptance

The umbrella was considered a feminine accessory until the middle of the 18th century, when Jonas Hanway, founder of English Magdalen Hospital, began carrying an umbrella almost everywhere we went. This led to the eventual acceptance of stronger and more masculine umbrellas being sold and used by men everywhere.  Through the years umbrellas were updated to adapt to the times and fashion of the era, ranging from plain leaves on sticks to the elaborate, to the functionality of the modern umbrella. The first steel umbrella was created in 1852, the pocket umbrella in 1928, and the folding umbrella in 1969, leading to a new era of umbrella use.

Today, umbrellas are considered an everyday item used by people of all classes and come in many styles, options, and colors to fit every budget and personality. One thing undeniable is the umbrella today has come a long way from the original palm leaf and stick parasol of ancient times!