Consider promoting your brand with a gift that comes straight out of history: promotional lighters. For almost two centuries lighters have held a special place in people's pockets. They were first invented in the early 19th century by a German chemist named Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner, but the first lighters were very expensive, dangerous, and far less convenient than the handheld lighters we know and love today. In the early 20th century, mass production of lighters employed cheaper materials and a refined design to produce pocket-sized lighters, which were popularized in World War I with soldiers. Soldiers preferred them to matches because the lighters could help them find their way without emitting the harsh initial flare of a match that was known to betray a soldier's position. After the war handheld lighters became popular in civilian circles among the smoking socialites of the Roaring Twenties, and by World War II Zippo brand lighters were standard issue to American troops. Today, whether lighting candles at a dinner for two or an after-dinner cigar, promotional lighters are an unconventional gift that people will remember.
Styles of Promotional Lighters
If you're looking for a promotional lighter that your customer can toss into the bottom of a purse or shove into a pants pocket, consider the inexpensive and disposable standard Bic® lighter. These are the lighters you see by the register on convenient store counters around the world, except you'll customize yours with the color of your choice as well as your brand's name and artwork. If you imagine your client using your lighter to ignite the family fireplace on a wet winter evening, try a multi-purpose promotional lighter; this kind of lighter is long and thin with a large, firm handle. Its length makes it convenient for lighting fires, but it can also be used with candles. However, no promotional lighter is more rooted in history than the classic, sleek Zippo lighter. In fact, Zippo has been selling custom lighters as advertising merchandise since the 1960s, when corporate logos were individually hand-painted on each lighter. Perhaps because of its history as a promotional product, no lighter is more recognizable than the chrome Zippo butane lighter, and no promotional lighter will make you feel like a character on Mad Men quite like the Zippo.
The "Unlucky" Promotional Lighter?
If you're superstitious, you may want to avoid white promotional lighters. Legend has it that a white lighter is unlucky for its user, even to the point of death. The legend originated when four members of the 27 Club -- influential rock musicians who all died at the age of 27 -- were reportedly found dead with the nefarious white lighter on their person: Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. A white lighter could identify your brand as a daredevil to those in the know, but the more superstitious consumer might refuse to carry it. However you choose to light up your brand with promotional lighters, I wish you the best of luck with all future bonfires and birthday cakes.
