CH 4: USP

pp.65-67, 77-78

USP: Unique Selling Proposition

USP is THE most important principle of advertising.

It’s your “competetive difference”:the feature/benefit that puts you ahead of your competition.

It’s the Reason someone will buyyour product instead of another.(example: at the store, why do you buyCrest over Colgate? Etc.)

Sometimes the USP(difference) is obvious.

So, it’s easy towrite the headline.

But, when youdon’t have a USP, whatdo you do? Create one if you can.

For example, parity productsare pretty much all the same,so USPs have to beinvented.

- Kleenex with lotion,antibacterial Kleenex- Tums, Rolaids w/ calcium- Crest, Colgate flavors

If you can’t create a USP, what do you do?

Tout a benefit that your competition hasn’t touted.

Example: A digital camera that shoots and prints fast.

Example: Car crash test

Example: What company has the best deals on car insurance?

GEICO???? “You could save 15% or more on car insurance.”

Yeah, and you COULD finda million dollars in your Wheaties.

USP Leads to “Positioning”

Getting “mind share” by putting your product/service in the buyer’s mind, in relationship to the competition.

Example: Geico does that.

Example: When people say “The Rolls Royce of . . . “

Experiment: I’m going to say a word and you’re going to write down the first company that comes to mind.

TIME TO VOTE:View the following 2 adsfor competing products.They were found in the same magazine.

Which product would you buybased on these ads?And why?

Ad #1

Ad #2

Vote:Whichwould you buy?

Which hasthe strongestpositioning?

BTW: Both of these adsappeared inthe same mag.

Questions?