Computer Gadgets & Gizmos

Computer Gadgets & Gizmos
Low-tech add-ons help profits add up

by Teri Carnicelli

ACCESSORIZING A COMPUTER is like putting together a great outfit--whether tacky, fun or functional, it all needs to work together.

What's a mouse without a mousepad or mouse cleaner? A keyboard works so much better with a nice gel wrist rest and the occasional brushing out of sandwich and cookie crumbs. Monitors can be turned into note holders and even mini-billboards. And it's not just about what you can put on a computer, but what you can put into it.

Statistics indicate that more than 50 percent of all American households have at least one computer. The number of personal computers being used in offices across the country is immeasurable. Combined, home and work computers add up to a whole lot of computer space just waiting to be accessorized.

"Computers are no longer a luxury and most people are no longer mystified by them," says Rob Curtis of Prime Resources. "While for some people it represents an entire lifestyle, even the most casual user occasionally logs on and browses websites and so forth."

A January 2002 white paper published by Venture Development Corp., a technology market research and strategy firm, says end users view accessories as an inexpensive way to improve the function of their desktop computers. "Accessories are often seen as low-cost insurance for [computers], providing maintenance, cleaning and protection," says Venture.

The company has compiled a top-10 list of non-electronic computer accessories based on annual retail sales. Thanks to the widespread popularity of downloading MP3s from the Internet, media accessories like CDs and 3.5-inch diskettes are the top products purchased via retail outlets. The No. 2 top category is, appropriately, storage solutions for all the CDs and disks being purchased.

"Media storage products have proven to be one of the best sellers in the computer accessories industry," says Jim Hempe of CD3 Storage Systems/Discgear. "People are looking for fun and innovative ways to store their CDs, DVDs, computer software and video games. The more clever the product, the better it will sell."

Other top computer-accessory categories include laptop carrying cases, cleaning kits, mousepads, security devices, keyboard drawers and holders, monitor overlays, CD-R labels, and wrist rests.

Many of the top products bought by consumers are easily found in the ad specialty category, and offer distributors a great way to help their clients gain ground on coveted desk real estate.

GETTING ATTACHED

Certain promotional offerings are guaranteed to stick with the user's computer--literally. Picture frames, mirrors, sticky note holder strips, monitor "billboards," paper "clips"--these items are in it for the long haul. They attach to the monitor and stay in front of the user's face.

Other than the promotional benefit to the advertiser, they also provide a benefit to recipients. Picture frames remind them of loved ones, mirrors aid them in seeing who is approaching from behind (and perhaps provide an opportunity to close out of that computer game before the visitor arrives), sticky note strips prevent reminder notices from getting lost, and monitor frames or billboards provide even more space to place photos, notes and more.

If you are looking for more state-of-the-art computer accessories, some suppliers now offer items like web cameras, which carry a higher price tag but can help your customers advertise their brand while sending a message that they are forward-thinking, cutting edge businesses.

MOUSING AROUND

Mousepads and wrist rests are items that make sitting at a computer for minutes, if not hours, a more comfortable experience. "We spend so much time on computers these days, repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel are becoming a serious problem," says Spencer Rogers of Softworqs, manufacturers of gel wrist wrests and wrist-supporting mousepads. "Products that address this problem and offer promotional impact at the same time are increasingly popular."

As promotional products, sales on these items boomed during the tech surge in the early '90s. When the high-tech industry began to slump in the late '90s and into 2001, industry sales professionals thought it would be the death of the promotional mousepad.

But you can't keep a good mousepad down--figuratively, at least. The reality is computers are used in the financial industry, in schools across the country, by manufacturers, within the automotive industry--virtually by any business or group around the nation. "Not only are people using computers at work, more and more are now surfing the Net at home," points out Pat Payer-Kane, vice president of sales with World Wide Art Studios. "As a result, you can target almost anybody for almost any promotion with a mousepad."

Other items that make mousing around more convenient include mouse-cord holders or winders that keep the cord from getting tangled, retractable modem cords for computer work on the road, and ergo-nomic and custom mice.

MESSAGE IN AN E-BOTTLE

Though introduced to the ad specialty industry some time ago, customized CD-ROM business cards and marketing presentations are slowly gaining ground.

"We have just hit the tip of the iceberg with CD business cards," says Brandon Maseda of MangoCreek Interactive Media Design. "In fact, we now refer to them as dynamic media CD-ROMs, or DMCDs, because they can do so much more than a simple business card. Presentations are now fully interactive with instant video, professional voiceovers, direct website links, active printing, data tracking and more."

Initially the reception was lukewarm as users of the custom-shaped CDs were concerned about damage to their drives--and rightly so, as it turned out. But the damaged drives and raised hackles may have been a case of poor communication rather than faulty product.

These types of CDs are not to be used in a slot-fed player, the style used for car stereos. They are manufactured for use in tray players--the type that when you push the button, the tray comes out. They also work in spindle-type players, like in a laptop where the CD snaps down on a spindle in the middle of the drawer.

The other factor that could cause a problem is balance. "When a full-sized CD is cut to a shape, it is important that the shape be perfectly balanced," says Lyman Rose of Discutters. "If it is not, the CD will wobble and cause the turning mechanism in the middle of the CD to eventually fail. If the CD is perfectly balanced, this will not occur." He noted that the smaller CDs that fit in the inner ring of a tray don't appear to have this problem. If they are close to balanced, they do fine.

Anything, from simple advertising information to PowerPoint presentations and full multimedia presentations, can be put on a shaped CD.

While some companies can take your clients information and develop the CD material from there, others offer templates of information that can be customized to your client's marketing needs without the expense of having to start from scratch.

"I believe this type of interactive marketing tool is just seeing the beginning of a long run of success," says Brian Hovanian of custom CD-maker Hovtech.

So remember, any product that makes using a computer a more efficient, comfortable and enjoyable experience is one that will be used and, more importantly, seen several times a day during the course of work or play.