USB flash drives, or jump drives, can be very useful in the work environment or at home.  It can be used to back up your files, save computer memory by storing large files like music or pictures, and transferring or editing files on the go.

But USB flash drives are not just meant to be used in the office.  Some music artists are starting to use them as promotional tools.  Popular pop-punk bands, Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy, combined forces to create an “Octodrive”.  This special flash drive was custom-designed by the artists with the Fall Out Boy logo on one side and Mark Hoppus’ (bass/vocals, Blink 182) signature octopus design on the other side.

Part of their strategy was to create a major hype for these Octodrives, as well as for the bands themselves.  They did this by only creating around 100 USB drives and distributing them throughout the world.  Many are located in the United States, but others were shipped off to Australia, the UK, Singapore, Brazil, Japan, and Canada.  They would give hints online through “tweets” (Twitter updates) for fans to find where Octodrives were hidden. One was even at the Twitter office in San Francisco, others were hidden in the sand or other various locations, and even more were offered in contests and raffles.

Better yet, it was a mystery as to what was exactly on each drive.  Some were said to have exclusive content, such as remixes and videos.  The excitement came from the suspense of what was on the flash drives, attempting to get one, and knowing that there is a limited amount out there.  The Octodrive promotion was very creative and it was thought out well.  The mystery, as well as the rarity grabbed people’s attention.  Storing the content on a flash drive allowed for a fun design and a higher amount of storage capacity.  Maybe a USB flash drive promotion is right to create some excitement for your company/project. If you were one of the lucky winners of one of these Octodrives, or you want to start your own flash drive promotion, take good care of the drive(s) with flash memory packaging.  USB flash drive cases, like our sFlash, help prevent loss and damage to these valuable devices.