Dec 10
Lanyards and Uses
There Are a Surprising Number of Creative Uses for Lanyards
It is likely that lanyards with limited uses made their first appearance in the 19th century when their sole purpose was to secure a knife used in combat. The tethers themselves consisted of a simple piece of cord. Just prior to the First World War, the knife was replaced by the bayonet and although the cord was still retained as part of some uniforms, its purpose had, by then, assumed the status of a fashion accessory. Adopted by members of the youth movement known as the boy scouts and by naval seamen, a simple white cord was often used to secure some useful object such as a compass or a whistle.
Since those days, lanyards have been assigned to more creative uses and the product of today is now far removed in its design from the simple white or khaki cords of yesteryear. Although their purpose is still to secure some type of object to one’s person, and so ensure that it is not lost and remains easily accessible, today, the nature of such objects is a great deal more diverse.
Cords have largely been replaced by ribbons of various widths and manufactured from assorted fabrics. These, in turn, are often designed colourful stripes or other patterns, and may also carry some kind of descriptive text. In this form, lanyards are now far more visible and one of the uses for which their enlarged surface area is frequently employed today is as a medium for advertising and promotional activities. One of the major strengths of these items is that their utilitarian nature tends to see them retained by the wearer and reused for a variety of purposes, thus providing both prolonged exposure and extended reach for the advertiser.
In the workplace, these items are commonly assigned to a security role. Attaching a suitable card holder will allow them to support an ID or secure access card, keeping it safe while, at the same time, ensuring that it remains visible. Although still work-related, one of the increasingly popular uses for lanyards is seen at sales conferences and similar events. On such occasions, it is customary to issue delegates with name tags and these devices provide the ideal means by which to display them. When such an occasion, for example a tradeshow, is open to the consumer public, these useful and relatively inexpensive items will invariably be much appreciated by potential clients, should you choose to offer them as promotional gifts.
The sporting world also holds a number of useful applications for these decorative strap-like devices. On the track, they are a convenient way to secure a stopwatch, while for team sports, no self-respecting referee would ever be without one. When lanyards are employed for outdoor uses such as these, the fact that today’s products are available in highly durable and colourfast materials can be a significant bonus. If you are spectating rather than participating, then they are also a great way to secure your sunglasses or a pen with which to make notes or keep score.