Despite all the technology and modern conveniences that make work life more fluid, today’s office workers are still struck by “Irritable Desk Syndrome,” according to a survey by NEC-Mitsubishi. In fact, 67 percent of respondents said they are more tied to their desks now than two years ago, and 40 percent said they were infuriated by too much clutter on their desks.

Since we spend most of our waking hours working, it’s no surprise offices provide prime real estate for useful and convenient promotional products. Desk accessories, calendars, writing instruments, clocks and watches, electronics, computers and drinkware account for more than 34 percent of the sales in the $18.8 billion promotional products industry, according to PPAI. The trick is knowing which office products to target.

Office Essentials
To be successful in this market segment, promotional consultants must think beyond basic desk accessories.

As Dale Baur, vice president of sales and marketing for Dallas, Texas-based Dart Business Accessories (UPIC: Dart) points out, even office essentials should be “functional, fashionable products that assist and ease office workers and executives in the delivery of daily work or otherwise make surroundings more pleasant.” This could be anything from coasters and desk folders to photo frames, accessory trays and memo boxes. The key is to maximize the real estate that’s always in close view.