Bling it on... some art on the lighter side

Fashionable they certainly are, with the 2008 Wrap series being especially so. These include BIC Black and White, Camouflage and Casino (all released in June), Bling and Graffiti (for September release), and Artist and Vintage ranges (for year-end release).

The series is based on the traditional BIC lighter design with high-fashion wraps that make the lighter body a work of art. For instance, the Camouflage range includes eight wraps each with its own camo pattern and colours. The colours range from dun through to orange, blue, turquoise and pink brights.

As for the Artists range, detail from eight of the world's most famous paintings are used - Botticelli, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Da Vinci, and Lautrec being among the chosen artists.

The Vintage wraps feature eight brilliantly coloured patterns that are almost op-art in style.

The launches of the 2008 Wraps will involve media coverage including press advertising, outdoor ads and promotional activities. There will be three regional Campus Glamour & Gadget shows to promote the Bling and Graffiti ranges to students, as well as graffiti competitions and rap-slam sessions. Twenty Motorola gold ‘bling' mobile phones will be won in a promotional competition.

Towards the end of the year, a competition associated with the launch of the Artists range will have a prize of a trip for three to the Louvre in Paris. Main promotional medium for the Artists and Classic ranges will be street-pole ads.

In addition, BIC have designed a wide range of point-of-purchase material including showcards, leaflets, mobiles and counter-top display units.

The company is just as imaginative with its Megalighter, a new generation of multi-purpose lighters that are ideal for lighting everything from gas cookers to birthday cake candles, to braais.