Even in these days of electronic data and a predominance of email and online electronic text transfer there is still a valuable place for the old ways of writing and note taking. Nobody forgets that pens still have an undoubted place in the office environment but many forget the forerunner of the modern ballpoint - the humble pencil. And like many humble elements of our daily lives the promotional pencil remains in the background, tirelessly working away as a business partner and rarely receiving any of the credit to which it is due.
In the olden day the pencil was the way people preferred to mark paper. Prior to its introduction it was brushes or stylus's which were the norm and those who were able to wield them were a specialist class in society - see for instance the scribes mentioned in the Bible. The pencil was a relatively late civilisation invention yet so successful was it in fulfilling its promise and simplifying the business of writing text on paper or a similar surface that the pencil in much the form we see it now has not changed substantially in three centuries. Indeed it seems that pencils are one of those rare products which has achieved a level of perfection which has resulted in no further development being required.
A classic example of why the pencil is in some cases superior to the traditional ballpoint pen is seen at the polling booths when we make the sad pilgrimage to vote every 2-3 years. You will note that it is not pens which are used in this critical democratic exercise but rather pencils are the preferred form of marker allocated to the electorate by the powers that be. The reason for this is simple. A pencil can be stored for decades and still work like a charm once it brought out of the cupboard. Even better a pencil can be corrected if the user makes a mistake or mis-marks their proposed textual offerings. These two simple advantages are reasons that pencils are still popular today and the reason for their effective use by many canny marketers as promotional offerings.
Consider for instance that you want to keep something on hand to entertain kids when their parents are busy working or speaking with your sales team. Is there anything better than coloured pencils and some blank paper? Not only are kids able to produce the charming illustrations which adorn so many refrigerator doors, they will spend hours showing previously unimagined patience. Textas, pens and other forms of markers are all well and good but every parent will tell you that by merely leaving the cap off or simply leaving them unattended over a period of time the colour mojo will quickly disappear and instead of a group of contented children quietly going about their colouring business the result can be a cacophony of squeals and subsequent misery for all involved.
So next time you are looking for a dependable promotional investment don't forget the advantages of promotional pencils. While it may be true that no man on earth knows how to make one, the advantages of buying them will be self evident and they will keep working for years to come with only the occasional sharpening required.