With over 100 years of experience in the promotional products writing instrument game, it’s safe to say we know the business. Our roots span back to 1908 when A.C. Stewart founded the Souvenir Lead Pencil Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. By the 1940s, it would grow into a multimillion-dollar international business specializing in promotional imprinting on writing instruments.
As sales in Iowa skyrocketed, a little company across the Atlantic called BIC was getting off the ground. In 1950, Marcel Bich improved on the original ballpoint pen design, and his company launched the first of its soon-to-be iconic pens. By 1969, they had created a promotional products offshoot, BIC Graphic, that flourished at its US headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.
Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, which are not new to the promo industry, these two heavy hitters would end up under one roof and are known today as Koozie Group. And even though we no longer use the BIC® name, we remain the exclusive promotional products supplier of BIC®-branded writing instruments in the U.S. and Canada. Our long history of bringing standout writing instruments to the promo space is just one of the many reasons to Write On! with Koozie Group. Let’s explore some others.
One of the best words in the English language is free! And we offer a lot of services on our writing instruments at no charge, including:
- Free set-ups—even for multi-color Imprints.
- Free imprint color changes.
- Free writing ink color changes.
- Free virtual samples.
- Free color assortments or mix & match.
- Free exact quantity shipments.
- Free digital customizable flyers.
- Free samples (up to $10, freight not included).
- Free elevated ink technologies (on select items).
There’s a lot of value in this list—tools to help you sell and multiple ways to create the perfect pen for your customer. Coupled with Koozie Group’s proven history, it’s a hard combo to beat.
Speaking of our heritage, we’ve been making writing instruments in the United States since the beginning. Today, our pen gurus still assemble over 50 of our writing instruments in Florida, including all our BIC®-branded pens. If you have customers looking for USA-proud products, this assortment is a great place to start. For even more of the Red, White, and Blue, pair a pen with its soulmate—a calendar printed in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. It’s another winning combination!
All this tradition, however, doesn’t mean we’re stuck in the past. Today, consumers are concerned about the sustainability of products, and we’re up to the challenge. In December 2020, we launched our KG Factor designation, which identifies products with a high likelihood of being kept or gifted as determined by an impartial survey of end users. KG Factor products lessen environmental impact through longevity. Because people find writing instruments useful, many of our writing instruments now have the KG Factor designation, making them a good choice for anyone concerned with sustainability.
We also have a growing lineup of pens made from greener materials. Several pens incorporate pre-consumer recycled plastic or plastic made from a renewable source. Taking things to a whole new level, there’s the newly launched Dart Pen made with 87% recycled PET plastic. Another standout in the eco-friendlier category is the ECOL Retractable Pen, that features a wood clip and a body made of 60% post-consumer recycled paper. With a goal to ensure that 75% of our new products have a proven sustainability stance, this subcategory of writing instruments is only going to grow.
There’s also been a lot of change in inks over the years. As early as 3200 BCE, Egyptians were creating ink by burning wood or oil and mixing the result with water. They also concocted red ink using iron-base compounds like ocher and other natural earth pigments. Ink technology has come a long way, and we offer two elevated ink options free of charge on select items. Ink Stream Technology™ is an upgraded ink formula that offers a smooth, consistent write-out. Many of our Souvenir® pens feature InstaGlide® Hybrid Ink, a premium blend of gel and ballpoint ink that delivers the best of both worlds—a smooth writing experience and faster drying time to minimize smudging. It’s a winning combination—and don’t forget, free on select writing instruments.
Sometimes it’s the color of ink that’s important. Many of life’s big moments require a signature—birth certificate, diploma, marriage license, mortgage. Lawyers encourage the use of blue ink when signing an important document to distinguish it as an original. The blue signature stands in contrast to the black type. To keep these sticklers happy, we offer nearly 100 pens that have blue as an ink option.
Any discussion of writing instruments must include a nod to pencils, leading back to where our story began with the Souvenir Lead Pencil Company. With the growing use of technology, it seems like the pencil might soon become a mere artifact of the time before computers. Even anxiety-producing test-taking with the #2 pencil has gone the way of keyboards.
For the youngest learners, however, a pencil is still an essential tool. In their hands, those first tentative stabs at forming letters eventually allow them to create words and sentences. For them, writing, not typing, substantially improves their ability to memorize the letters they are learning. It’s called “body memory,” and it is also why adults use pen and paper to rebuild their memory or physical movements during recovery from a stroke. And when youngsters make a mistake? It’s easy to erase and try again with this classic writing instrument.
There are so many compelling reasons to choose our writing instruments. Find more at kooziegroup.com/writeon and watch for upcoming announcements on how to Write On! with Koozie Group.
