What is USP?

A unique selling proposition is an important concept in marketing that allows you to distinguish a product or brand from competitors in the market. USP is a unique selling characteristic or set of characteristics of a product, service or brand that makes it attractive to consumers and gives it a competitive advantage. It aims to show customers why they should choose this particular product over alternatives available on the market. For example, it can be exceptional quality, innovative design, special technology or excellent service that cannot be offered by others.

Types of USP: real and fictional

Distinguish between a real trade offer and a fictitious one.

Real USP

It is based on the actual commercial differences of the product or service that make it exclusive in the market. These differences can be related to innovation, quality, functionality or other important aspects that distinguish the product from competitors. The main task of such USP is to emphasize these features and convince consumers of their advantages. Let’s consider examples.

Dove is a well-known brand that offers skin care products, including soaps. In 1957, the Dove company released soap with the addition of moisturizing cream. It was the first soap on the market that had moisturizing properties, which made it special among other products. To emphasize this exclusivity, Dove created a slogan: “Dove does not dry out the skin like soap can.” This slogan illustrates the real advantage of the product: the soap not only cleans, but also cares for the skin, preventing it from drying out. Thanks to this offer, Dove managed to gain the trust of consumers and become one of the leaders in the skin care market.

Monobank is the first bank in Ukraine that functions exclusively through a mobile application, without physical branches. This is a real trade difference that provides a number of advantages, such as ease of use, speed of service and the absence of the need to visit the bank. Monobank’s main selling point is that they are “the only branchless, smartphone bank”. This not only emphasizes the innovative nature of the bank, but also attracts the attention of customers who appreciate modern technology and speed of service.

Fictional or artificial USP

It is based on creating an attractive image of a product or brand with the help of marketing strategies, which do not always reflect real technical or functional differences. Such a unique selling proposition emphasizes emotional or symbolic aspects that resonate with consumers. It can use word play, creating associations or emphasizing the brand’s philosophy. Let’s consider examples.

In 2021, Levi’s launched an advertising campaign called “Buy better. Wear longer.” In this case, the company does not emphasize technological or material innovations of its product. Instead, it offers a concept of consuming fewer things, but of higher quality, which emphasizes the durability of their products. This creates associations for consumers with responsible consumption and environmental friendliness, even if in fact all jeans wear out over time. This approach helps Levi’s to position its brand as responsible and focused on long-term relations with consumers, which causes trust and loyalty to the brand.

Another example of a fictional USP is the Apple company with their slogan “Think Different”. This USP does not address the specific technical characteristics of Apple products, but instead encourages people to be innovative and follow their own path. This creates an image of Apple as a brand for creative and independent people, which stands out in the market due to its unique philosophy.

Advantages of using a unique sales offer

If you haven’t yet created a unique selling proposition for your product, now is the time to think about it. Let’s consider the main advantages of USP.

1. Differentiation
   A strong USP helps your product or service stand out from the competition in the market. This is a key factor in attracting customers and influencing them to choose your product or service.
2. Competitive advantage
   A well-defined positioning gives you a competitive advantage by demonstrating the value of your product or service to your target audience.
3. Attracting customers
   A compelling tagline can resonate with your target audience, satisfying their needs, wants, or solving pain points. This can attract their attention and interest, leading to increased customer engagement and conversions.
4. Strengthening brand identity
   Can make your brand recognizable and memorable. This creates an unforgettable impression in the minds of consumers, promotes brand loyalty.
5. Marketing effectiveness
   A clear USP helps to focus marketing campaigns on key benefits, making them more effective and increasing the % return on investment.
6. Expansion of the client base
   Promotes business growth, helps attract new customers, retain regular customers and stimulate demand.

To get all the advantages described above, you need to invest time, money and effort in creating a truly unique sales offer for customers. Let’s consider how this can be done.

Create your USP

Here’s a step-by-step plan to create your USP if you haven’t done it before.

1. Define yours target audience

• Analyze demographics: Understand who your ideal customers are (age, gender, income, location, and other characteristics).
• Research consumer behavior: Learn about their needs, preferences, pain points, and the problems they are trying to solve.
• Conduct surveys and interviews: Collect feedback from existing customers and potential customers to better understand their needs and expectations.

2. Research your competitors

• Look at competitor examples: Check out what your competitors are offering and note their strengths and weaknesses.
• Evaluate creative messages: study how your competitors position themselves in the market, which USPs they use, and which channels they use for communication.
• Identify gaps in the market: Look for opportunities where you can offer something unique or better than the competition.

3. Define your value proposition

• Determine what makes your product or service special and attractive to consumers.
• Identify the specific benefits your product or service offers customers, such as quality, innovation, convenience, or additional services.
• Evaluate what unique features you can offer that make your product stand out from the crowd.

4. Be specific and clear

• Avoid general phrases: focus on specific aspects that are important to your target audience and explain why those aspects are special.
• Create a clear and bright slogan: your USP should be a short and convincing phrase that is easy to remember and resonates with consumers.

5. Focus on the benefits

• Describe functional benefits: Explain what problems your product or service solves and how it improves customers’ lives.
• Consider the emotional aspects: Emphasize how your product or service makes customers’ lives better on an emotional level.
• Consider ethical benefits: If your product or service supports social or environmental values, emphasize this.

6. Check and refine

• Offer your USP to a small group of customers or take a survey, to gauge their reaction.
• Find out what consumers like and don’t like and adjust your USP based on that.
• Analyze the results to understand how well your USP is helping to achieve business goals.

7. Regular review and update

• Monitor changes in the market and adjust your USP according to new trends and customer needs.
• Conduct regular performance reviews of your USP to ensure it continues to benefit your business.
• Consider new opportunities to improve and update your USP to stay competitive.

Creating a unique selling proposition is a key element of a successful business that allows you to distinguish your product or service from competitors and communicate effectively with your target audience. See examples of competitors, well-known brands and create your own. Invest time and money in it and then you will become an example for others.

Tips for improving your unique selling proposition

What should be remembered when working on the development of a unique sales offer? Here are some tips:

1. Instead of templates and generic language, use your own words that reflect the essence of your brand. This will help create an authentic connection with customers.
2. Avoid generalizations like “best” or “cheapest”. Clearly define the unique aspects of your offering, for example: “We offer freshly roasted coffee beans from around the world, brewed to perfection by our expert baristas.”
3. Use active voice. Instead of “we offer a variety of services”, a better example is “we provide comprehensive marketing solutions”. This will make your messages dynamic and attractive.
4. Emphasize how your product solves customer problems, for example: “We offer products that will help you save time and money.”
5. Keep your message short and simple, like Nike’s “Just do it.” USP should be easy to remember and associate with your brand.

These tips will help make your unique selling proposition more effective and attractive to customers.

Examples of USP of world brands

Nike: “Just do it”

A good example of USP Nike, where the brand calls to action and emphasizes motivation and perseverance. The slogan “Just do it” emphasizes the importance of achieving a goal and going beyond what is possible, inspiring people to participate in sports and an active lifestyle.

Coca-Cola: “Taste the feeling”

USP Coca-Cola focuses on the emotional component, associating the brand with joy and positive impressions. “Taste of sensations” emphasizes the pleasure that people get from consuming this drink, creating an emotional connection with customers.

M&M’s: “Melts in the mouth, not in the hands”

The example of M&M’s USP emphasizes the special property of their product – the candies will not melt in your hands, but at the same time they will quickly melt in your mouth. This creates a positive consumer experience that favorably distinguishes M&M’s from other chocolates.

Domino’s Pizza: “Pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less, or for free!”

USP Domino’s Pizza focuses on speed of delivery, which is an important factor for many customers. The guarantee of pizza delivery in 30 minutes or free of charge emphasizes the company’s commitment to consumers and creates a competitive advantage.

Tesla: “One for all”

USP Tesla emphasizes that the company makes electric cars available to a wide range of consumers. They emphasize innovation, environmental friendliness and the desire to change the future of transport for everyone.

Stripe: “The new standard in online payments”

USP Stripe emphasizes the innovation, simplicity and ease of use of their online payment processing platform for businesses. It is a solution that makes online trading simple for various companies, ensuring the safety and reliability of financial transactions.

These examples of unique sales offer from global brands demonstrate how well-chosen slogans can emphasize the features and value of a product or service, distinguishing it from competitors and ensuring effective customer engagement.

To summarize

A unique sales offer is the reason why the customer chooses your product and your brand, because thanks to USP you stand out from the competition. The created phrase allows consumers to remember your product for a long time. The main thing is to remember that you need to choose your unique sales offer for each target audience.

Olha Tyshchenko

Editor

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