All Buttoned Up

Like bumper stickers, pins and buttons tell all who see them something key about the wearer. People love to find ways to express themselves, their beliefs, their loves and interests, and what they align with and support.

Matt Wagner of Fields Manufacturing observes, “Buttons are widely used for message marketing and boosting brand awareness. These are sold in key market segments such as education, financial, retail, healthcare and manufacturing often being used with in-store promotions, outdoor festivals, health awareness campaigns and safety programs.”

And of course, what’s dubbed “silly season,” i.e., people look for unusual names or irreverent, comical political buttons. Still, others collect brand name promotional buttons, or those in an industry or special interest (nature/animals, etc.).

On a continual and charitable note is the awareness ribbons, colors for specific disease awareness months all calendar year long. And Knobby Krafters provides new reflective awareness ribbon pins. Any charitable organization chapters, local healthcare providers and hospitals and any business that supports, say, colon cancer awareness month (March, blue), will be primed to order these ribbon pins that can have their business name on it. There are plenty more. Bands and record labels love to use buttons as fans enjoy wearing them. Consider restaurants and bars, which use buttons to sell drinks and appetizer specials; food companies use them to promote new products, and stores use them to promote special offers. Other potential clients are faith-based groups, sports teams, as well as schools, universities and educational foundations.

At Sonoma Promotional Solutions, its eye-popping pins are made in different grades, satisfying most any budget and need. One option is high-quality, durable hard enamel, which Judy Friedman says is “often called ‘imitation cloisonné.’ Hard enamel offers a high-quality lower cost alternative to traditional cloisonné.”  You can also choose pins in what’s referred to as “promotional enamel,” an inexpensive option in the same range of PMS matched colors and plating options as hard enamel. Recesses are not filled completely with color, leaving the metal outlines more visible. Photo-etched pins are highly detailed designs transferred to a thin brass based material then chemically etched. Further choices include 3D shapes, print directly on metal, and jewelry design incorporating semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals and more.

Knobby Krafters offers its K-Loissone™, which, describes Mary Jo Brunell is “Premium Stoned enamel brass pins similar to real cloisonné, but instead of glass colors, we use a specifically formulated PMS-color matchable enamel, and each piece is stoned and hand polished.”

Samco Line provides a wide variety of celluloid (and digital) buttons in numerous circumferences (circles), all in popular sizes. Similarly, smaller button/pin sizes are growing in popularity at American Greenwood. Aaron Bradley of American Greenwood observes that smaller button sizes have been growing in popularity, while larger in-your-face buttons are falling a little bit out of favor with end-users, with exceptions of employees wearing buttons to promote something new or an event. “The trend has been more toward the smaller button sizes like our 1¼-inch and 1½-inch round safety buttons,” he says.

Biz Pins, says Dan McCarty, also offers a wide variety of pin types. “Go au naturel with lapel pins made from beech wood. Available in your choice of either laser engraved or one-color screen printed. For more upscale pins, our precious metal pins are the ultimate choice in lapel pins and are available in 10, 14, and 18k solid gold, as well as sterling silver.” Further, blinking lights always capture attention, “so add a ‘twinkle’ to your client’s pin design. Blinking in sequence or altogether colorful lights will attract attention to the client’s logo or message.”

Jennifer Felins of Clegg Promo says that the company’s buttons and badges are used in a wide variety of industries, but its line of lighted buttons remain very popular for companies exhibiting at trade shows. “They look attractive — especially with full color imprint — and the blinking LED is a natural attention-grabber,” she describes. “They are also economically priced and a quick-turn item. This makes them an easy sell especially when clients are in need of a last-minute promo piece.”

Expressing with buttons and pins is always a positive for the wearer and often for the viewer, too. Consider adding this low-cost but memorable item for any of your clients.