What did we do before the fridge magnet? From displaying our children's latest artistic creations, to reminding us to take our medication, to informing flatmates that it is their turn to take the bins out, the humble fridge magnet has played an important but often overlooked role at the very centre of home life.
Gaining popularity in the 1970s, the fridge magnet has fast become a collectable item. The Book of Alternative World Records documents the world's largest collection as belonging to Louise Greenfarb of Nevada, USA, with her collection of over 29,000 magnets – eclipsing the UK's current record of 3600, amassed by a school teacher in Cardiff. In fact, collecting magnets is such a recent phenomenon that an official term for this new hobby has yet to be agreed.
Whether they're used as novelty, functional or decorative magnets by the individual, fridge magnets often additionally function as a marketing tool for businesses and service providers, as well as charities and government agencies, amongst others. Of course when you stop to consider how often you might visit the fridge, the fridge magnet's constant impact on potential consumers is hard to deny.
A convenient as well as inexpensive way of getting the message across, fridge magnets are also a long-lasting promotional item – estimations of a fridge customized ref magnet 's lifespan range between 5 and 10 years – something that most other forms of promotion such as leaflets or newspaper adverts cannot claim. The size and shape of promotional fridge magnets is almost limitless, with trends ranging from the regular 'business-card' and calendar formats to the more bespoke, product-shaped tin magnets. With their functional use and decorative appeal, fridge magnets will offer a staple low-cost but high-impact promotional tool for many years to come.