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Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

written by Demian Farnworth
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Unique Selling Proposition (USP) Defined in 60 Seconds [Animated Video]

Like David Ogilvy, mid-20th-century ad man Rosser Reeves promoted a hard-sell approach and thought advertising should do one thing: sell.

And sell he did.

Campaigns for Viceroy cigarettes, Carter’s Little Liver Pills, Listerine mouthwash, and Colgate toothpaste boosted sales and put these brands on the map.

His goal was to get customers to recognize a specific brand proposition — what has become known as a unique selling proposition (USP).

But what exactly is a unique selling proposition? And why is it so important?

Watch our 60-second video about unique selling propositions

With help from our friends at The Draw Shop, we whipped up 12 definitions from our new Content Marketing Glossary into short, fun whiteboard animated videos.

Check out our video for the definition of USP:

Animation by The Draw Shop

And for those of you who would prefer to read, here’s the transcript:

In essence, a unique selling proposition (USP) is something that you offer customers or clients that your competitors do not offer.

It’s also known as a “remarkable benefit.”

In the late 1970s, FedEx effectively branded itself as the fastest, most reliable shipping service with its tagline: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”

That was the remarkable benefit no other company could claim.

And once you identify that unique element for your business, you’ll know exactly what the theme of your content marketing should be, which will eventually become the big story of your business.

Share this video

Click here to check out this definition on YouTube and share it with your audience. You’ll also find 11 additional Content Marketing Glossary videos.

Additional USP resources

For more information about unique selling propositions, visit these three resources:

Learn more from the Content Marketing Glossary

Ready to master content marketing essentials? Watch all of our animated whiteboard videos right now by going directly to the Content Marketing Glossary.

By the way, let us know if there are any definitions you’d like us to add to the glossary! Just drop your responses in the comments below.

P.S. – Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways we can help you.
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Reader Comments (14)

  1. I’m a do it yourselfer when it comes to writing my own copy but it is always a challenge to figure out word density for me. This has been very helpful! Thank you!

  3. Don’t forget to include your personality in your proposition and message. It’s an important part of your communication – people should know what to expect when they have first-hand experience of you and your team – no matter how big your company might become.

  4. When I lived in Asia, 12 hours ahead of EST, my USP was that you could send me your document at the end of the work day, have it edited by a native English editor (me), and find the revised copy waiting in your inbox the next morning. That was a great USP, if I do say so myself. Then I returned to North Carolina and just flushed it right away. Oh well.

  5. Hi Demian,

    Now I want to check out The Draw Shop. Like what they do.
    I’ve noticed many brands are turning to these short, pithy, concentrated videos for content. They do well on social, that’s obvious. Of course CB is already doing it.

    Even if you think you have your USP nailed down don’t you think a re evaluation is in order periodically? I’m going to apply Simone’s “Take 15 Minutes” post and your other links here and see what I come up with. Always looking to get better.

    Matthew

  7. Thanks for coming up with an idea of explaining ‘USP’ with a whiteboard video. It adds a different dimension of presenting a content.

  8. Loving your last two whiteboard videos! I’m a visual learner and can understand a concept much quicker when it’s explained in this type of format.

  9. Demian, thanks so much. These are great video illustrations of crucial info our clients sometimes need to be educated on. This is a fun, easy to digest way to educate them.

  10. Very well explained. I liked how you linked the USP to the Content marketing
    Makes much more sense when you put it that way.

  12. Hi Demian, I guess it is not just about identifying what you or your business is good at but also identifying a need that a group of customers will have. With the Fedex example you can see this quite clearly with the fact that they identified that they were exceptional at getting parcels to places overnight but also identified that this was a very specific need that a subset of customers had.

    Great food for thought. Thanks.

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