Key chains are, as the name already implies, the gadget used to keep keys gathered in one easy to find and use place.  Parents love to give them to their children to ensure that a precious house key will not be lost.  Of course, key chains are no longer the simple affairs they started out to be.  Additionally, in today’s atmosphere of corporate marketing via a wide variety of promotional gadgets, key chains may now be as simple as a logo etched in durable plastic, or as advanced as a computer-chip implanted in precious metal. Some of these little gadgets now include miniature lights that allow the user, fumbling in the dark for the keyhole, to gain easy entrance to their residence or car.  Other features include the voice recognition feature of the high technology models that allow the forgetful user to literally whistle for their keys, only to have the chain respond audibly, thus leading the grateful seeker to the set of keys, much like a phonetic version of Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs.

As a matter of fact, many a clever marketing executive has realized the applicability of key chains for the specific good or service they are selling.  Real estate agents are firm believers in supplying key chains with a firm name emblazoned on the cover.  Auto dealerships also recognize the value of key chains, since almost everyone driving a car will most likely keep their car key together with their house key.  The tourist industry is another branch of business that has discovered the value of a little promotion.  Their use of location specific key chains that feature hotel names, rental car agency phone numbers, or simply recognizable shapes or emblems has skyrocketed in recent years, and has had the added benefit of appealing to a rather large segment of the collectors‘ market.  It is not surprising that toy manufacturers as well as beginning to cash in on the children’s market by offering the likeness of the latest action hero as part of the product.

Key chains are now also available as personal safety tools: the punch knife that is attached to one manufacturer’s version of the gadget is hailed as the latest innovation is personal safety devices.  It allows the user ready access to a small defensive weapon, while using keys for the same purpose may be less effective.  For those who are collectors, key chains have long since held a special place: many are valuable to collectors for engravings of companies that have since disbanded, products that are no longer on the market, or coveted charms and ornaments that are now rare to find. Parents, especially of young children, love key chains that allow for the enclosure of a baby’s photo, a young child’s picture, or any other loved one’s likeness.  Naturally, sports teams, schools, clubs, and a host of other groups have also discovered the marketability of slogans, telephone numbers, and mascots, and quite often we can see the kinds of recreational activities others enjoy simply by the key chains they use.  How about you?  What’s in your pocket?