The History of Promotional Keychains for Business

Keychains have been around since the first doors were invented. People had to keep track of their keys, so they started attaching them to their belts, shoes, or whatever they could find at the time. Since then, keychains have evolved into useful little accessories that you can use to hold your keys and as promotional items. If you’re looking for inexpensive ways to promote your business, keychains can help you achieve your goals.

Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, children were sometimes given a key when they reached adulthood. This meant they were officially adults and could go on their own adventures and come back whenever they wanted. When you think about it, your key is like your best friend — always there for you whenever you need it. Nowadays, more than ever, people want to keep an important piece of their lives close by at all times, whether car keys or house keys or just a simple reminder that someone cares about them. However, if someone chooses to use their promotional keychains is completely up to them.

Nineteenth-Century
Although promotional key rings have been around for over 100 years, it wasn’t until recently that they became so popular. It all started with a man named Harvey Ball, who designed a cartoon face in 1963. The idea was to sell them as souvenirs, and he coined an icon known today as the smiley face. Although his idea didn’t become popularised until 1980, when Franklin Loufrani did some work on promoting smiles, Ball is credited for being one of the first to create something known today as key rings or key chains. At first, key chain promotional items were just useful giveaways, but now they are used by many companies and organisations to promote their brand.

20th Century until Today
Most people don’t realise how far back keychain history goes. They probably think it began with car keys, which are now usually metal or plastic fobs instead of actual keys, around the 1940s or 1950s. But in fact, keychains have been around for centuries. They were used as weapons in ancient times, and a few centuries later, they were used to show social status among people. The first types of keychains came out in the late 1800s.

In 1913 they created the original Yale brass lock that had a hole in one end for attaching keys and a loop on the other end that could be hooked onto belt loops or pockets; this became known as an automatic lock because if you lost your keys, then your bag would automatically lock down tight until you found them again.

Conclusion
The world has continued to create new cars, houses and many places people can travel. However, key rings have become small souvenirs that provide great moments in people's lives. It is always advisable you turn to these items when advertising your business.

References
https://www.e-badges.net/what-is-the-history-of-key-rings
https://www.sps186.org/downloads/basic/672349/Presentation%202.pdf

The Keyrings Only Team