Wristbands Are The Flexible and Functional Way of Promotion to a Large Audience

There are some people who will not wear a watch, a wedding band, and balk at being tagged at a medical facility with a paper identification label as if they were being handcuffed. However, throughout time, one thing that has been worn by the masses without complaint is the wristband. For whatever the reason, and there are several to be sure, men, women and children have worn a band on the wrist at some point in their lives proudly or without fuss. Today, whether demonstrating solidarity, bringing awareness to a cause, identifying oneself as a paid member of a group at a festival or social function, there is no doubt that wristband’s are the flexible and functional way of promotion to a large audience.

For years, black wristbands were worn to signify mourning. Then, bands or bracelets started to take on religious meaning and were worn to signify beliefs. Popularity exploded when wristbands became en vogue as a fashion statement among the trendy signifying association with a group. The yellow wristband was the first world-wide promotional tool used to bring awareness to a cause, testicular cancer, following in the footsteps of small ribbons worn on the lapel showing support for a cause.

When the famous athlete and pro cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer, he and his supporters wanted to send a message promoting strength, solidarity and perseverance. The promotional item chosen by Mr. Armstrong and his family, friends, and supporters mirrored the message they wanted to deliver to other patients and their families going through the same struggle he did at a young age. Being strong, durable, secure, and positive will win athletic competitions and possessing those same traits will fight against disease. Soon, marketing, public relations teams and event planners realised that the versatility of wristbands can make them the perfect publicity tool.

The wristbands, mostly made from a durable silicone, are popular with men, women and children alike. Initially designed to create awareness of a cause or non-profit mission as "awareness bands" as a term coined by some promotional item manufacturers, the bands have become not only a tool to spread a message, but have become a functional item as well.

While they are still used to reach mass audiences to bring attention with regards to public relations, schools and organisations have used them for fundraisers; communities and sports teams have worn the wristbands as reminders of togetherness and the common thread which binds members while participating in activities to reach a goal or objectives; and event planners use them to signify paid attendees, a VIP status, or as age identification methods.

For large event organisers however their wristbands do not need to be as expensively made as silicone, a simplistic paper wristband that will last a day or two is all you need for an inexpensive way of showing that you belong to a certain event. More than this, businesses have seen the opportunity to advertise their company or services on the paper wristbands for large events such as a games company advertising on the event wristbands for a gaming exhibitions makes perfect sense in terms of effective marketing.
Wristbands are one of the few truly universal items in marketing and can be especially effective for charities and targeting large audience events.


Felicity works as a part time freelance writer for a number of companies in the UK. For more information on festival wristbands and other aspects relating to promotional festival items, then please visit MPM Wristbands