We are all very familiar with conventional promotional pens and what they can offer in terms of advertising opportunities but there is a vast range of, often overlooked, unconventional promotional items available to today's marketer that offer dual functionality. This article will look at the top 10 promotional gadgets that contain promotional pens.

1. Keyring Pens: Promotional pens and promotional keyrings are high volume sellers when sold individually, so imagine the appeal when they are combined into one business gift. The pen is usually quite small so it can be easily carried in the pocket but nevertheless it usually has an adequate print area to take your advertising message. They tend to be fairly inexpensive and comparable to the cost of buying either a pen or a keyring individually. It has applications in virtually all market sectors, particularly the automotive industry.

2. Torch Pens: By adding a torch to a small pen we have the perfect nighttime companion. The retention value of this product is high because of its practical nature and this ensures exposure for any advertising message throughout its life. It finds its place in many product sectors but is particularly popular in the leisure and lifestyle sectors of business.

3. Screwdriver Pens: Promotional pens are readily adaptable to taking a screwdriver bit because of their shape and consequently there are many styles available on the market. In this case, the construction of the pen is much more rugged than you would expect from a conventional promotional pen as it has to be strong enough to perform as a working tool. Applications for this product are quite general as there are so many areas of everyday life where both a pen and a screwdriver would come in handy.

4. USB Pens: This product emerged from the far-east several years ago and is now a major selling device in the promotions industry. It is chunkier than a normal promotional pen, as you would expect, but in every other respect looks just like a pen. Usually the top portion of the pen is the memory stick and the lower portion is the fully functional pen. The top when removed reveals the USB connector. There are virtually no market sectors where this product would be unsuitable.

5. Laser Pens: With a laser light at one end and a promotional pen at the other this is the ideal promotional product for training and seminar venues. It looks and feels like a normal pen but with the added benefit of a functional laser pointer concealed at one end that is activated usually by pressing the clip or a spring loaded button. They are usually cylindrical in shape with print areas similar to promotional pens.

6. Recording Pens: These used to be the preserve of undercover agents for audio recording but they are readily available in the promotions industry these days at relatively low cost. They are great for recording meetings and those occasional on-the-go notes.

7. Camera Pens: In very recent times we have seen the recoding pen evolve into audio-visual devices at relatively modest prices. The image quality is not exactly HD standard, but is acceptable for meetings and general conversation. The camera lens is normally fairly unobtrusive, a legacy no doubt of its undercover origins. It seems perfectly innocuous as it looks and performs like any typical promotional pen.

8. Puzzle Pens: This type of pen is mainly used in the souvenir trade and can be seen in many gift shops in different guises. The most popular type consists of a small steel ball that must be carefully directed through a maze running the length of the pen.

9. Bottle Opener Pens: These are mainly used in the hotel and restaurant trade as a waiter's aid. Print areas are generous for corporate messages.

10. Robotic or Transformer Pens: These are recent creations from China and have great novelty value. They are invariably very compact to start with but with the press of a button transform automatically into a full-length pen. It is now a very popular souvenir pen and promotional item.