Everyone talks about a Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and this is usually our starting point when strategizing an effective brand strategy. Your UVP or USP (Unique Selling Proposition) as some call it, is the cornerstone of differentiation and making a strong first impression.
Your UVP is a clear statement that describes the benefit of your offer, how you solve your customer’s needs and what distinguishes you from the competition. If your value proposition is strong, engaging and worth talking about, then it is a matter of taking this and fleshing out the compelling stories that will demonstrate and prove it.
The Starting Block
You need to take your UVP and find innovative ways to demonstrate these to your target audiences. You may come up with many different messages or themes that all tie back to your UVP and what you as a business stand for. But developing your message is the absolute starting block of developing a strong brand message that will resonate with those you are trying to reach.
To illustrate, think of Red Bull, this brand is all about performance. Red Bull wants consumers to believe that for better performance they need Red Bull; as only Red Bull offers superior performance. Their value proposition is about giving wings to people and ideas. They do that by including special ingredients that enhance their performance.
What are some of the key messages Red Bull could translate?
- We give you better performance. You can do anything.You can perform at your peak.
- What is aligned with performance? Sport! All their branding and marketing is about sport and performance. From sponsorships, to brand ambassadors, to activations and engagement in social channels, everything ties back to performance and sport.
Let’s look at a business example…
SAP – the best run businesses run SAP.
Their brand strategy revolves around aligning their brand with top businesses. Nestle runs SAP. Porsche runs SAP. Nissan runs SAP.
SAP’s brand strategy is built around their larger brand purpose of helping the world run better and improve people’s lives. In essence their UVP is about helping every customer become a best-run business. The link to their purpose is that if we have better run businesses, the world runs better.
Key themes
Improving Lives – demonstrated by their initiatives around improving the economy, society, environment, education and equality.
Better Business – demonstrated in their communication through customer testimonials, advertising and marketing campaigns.
Improving the Community – demonstrated by their SAP community forums, initiatives and training.
Your UVP is not just a message, it is a differentiator. It explains to your audiences exactly what your company offers that your competitors can’t. It defines your differentiation and explains why you’re the right choice to help solve their problems.
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