Branded walking umbrellas

Why promotional walking umbrellas are a smart branding move

When choosing promotional products that blend being practical with visibility, walking umbrellas tick more than a few boxes. Walking umbrellas are a great and useful gift for your clients. These items are a great choice for your marketing tools. Discover our full range of umbrellas - from full-colour and automatic opening to telescopic umbrellas.

What makes walking umbrellas so effective?

Walking umbrellas aren’t just a wet-weather essential. They’re a moving advertisement for your company - stylish, functional, and impossible to miss when in use.

Walking umbrellas have a classic design and have a longer shaft and a larger canopy, giving you more space for your logo. It also provides better coverage for the user to stay dry. They are practical, which guarantees that people pick them up often to use them.

What is the difference between a golf umbrella and a walking umbrella?

This is a common question, as many printed golf umbrellas can be walking umbrellas and vice versa. Here is a quick breakdown to give you more information about what the differences are:

• Golf umbrellas: They are larger in size with canopies that are up to 130 cm wide. Generally, golf umbrellas protect more than one person at once, often two. They’re heavier and better for wide-open spaces, such as golf courses.
• Walking umbrellas: These umbrellas are typically around 90-100cm in length with a canopy diameter of about 100-110cm. You can use them for rainy days in the city because they are lightweight. The long shaft and crook handle often give the appearance of a cane, making them suitable for walking with.

So, if your audience includes commuters, city dwellers or professionals, the walking umbrella wins. Easy to carry, fits neatly in an office doorway and still offers a large branding surface.

Why branded umbrellas are brilliant promotional items

We’ve all received freebies that ended up in the bin or forgotten in a drawer. Walking umbrellas, however, are both high-perceived value and genuinely useful. You can use umbrellas all year, and you won't fit them into any junk drawer where you forget things.

Here’s why they work so well as a piece of promotional offline marketing:

• Longevity: Make the most of your investment by handing out umbrellas for people to use for a long time. This gives your company more long-term exposure in the long run.
• High visibility: Printing your logo on an umbrella panel means your messaging is right at eye level.
• Generous branding space: Print your logo on multiple panels to get your message across. You can be subtle or bold with your messaging.
• Premium feel: Umbrellas often feel more like a gift than a giveaway, which is why they are ideal for impressing clients.

Where to hand out promotional walking umbrellas

To make the biggest impact, think of places where people appreciate practical gifts. Handing out walking umbrellas at these events make a lot of sense:

• Trade shows: Offer them as a high-value giveaway for key contacts or VIP visitors. Consider having them as a gift or as part of your interactive booth experience
• Corporate gifting: Especially effective in onboarding welcome kits or end-of-year thank-you bundles. Umbrellas work all year round, just like corporate gifting.
• Outdoor events: Festivals, exhibitions or charity runs or any outdoor event where it might (let’s be honest) rain. Offer these up to guests who can take the umbrellas home as a souvenir.
• Retail promotions: Gift with purchase campaigns where a premium feel adds to the perceived value. Or keep them at the retail store for guests to take with them during the rain.
• Hotels: Branded umbrellas in lobbies for guests to borrow are a subtle but smart brand extension. Keep them at the front door at the check-in desk for easy access.

How to make your walking umbrella stand out

When choosing promotional products, there are a few thingy you should consider. Think of these before you bulk order umbrellas for your marketing campaign. These small touches help your brand shine even more:

• Match your brand colours: A custom canopy colour can make your logo pop. Plus, good branding incorporates your corporate identity into all aspects.
• Go for a contrasting handle or trim: It adds sophistication and improves brand recognition. Look for umbrellas with alternating panels for a unique touch.

They’re not just for rainy days

While rain is the obvious trigger, walking umbrellas offer shade on sunny days too. And in the UK, let’s face it, we often see both in the same hour. This dual-use makes them relevant all year round, not just during the rainy autumn.

They offer a great return on investment

When comparing promotional products by cost per impression, printed walking umbrellas consistently deliver. Someone could see one umbrella hundreds of times, more so than a quick online ad for 10 seconds.

And when you pair quality construction with tasteful branding, recipients are far more likely to use these umbrellas. Then, your audience will associate your business with something reliable and thoughtful.