The brands that enrich society
Unique selling proposition and selling a product based on its intrinsic properties is a thing of the past
A drive along the M1, looking at one billboard after the other, with the radio on, listening to one commercial after the other, can leave you wondering about marketing. Inane, irritating and, of course, the old complaint: “They’re selling me things I don’t need.” In their determination to enrich the businesses they work for, marketers often seem to do the opposite to society, degrading it. Advertising counters this – sometimes – by being original, unexpected, funny and, occasionally, very beautiful. But now there’s a new force to save us all: the death of the unique selling proposition (USP). Let’s take a step back. Rosser Reeves developed the USP in the 1940s. An ad agency’s job was to bring the promise alive. It worked. The USP made a fortune for the Ted Bates agency and its clients. Famously, an Anacin TV commercial is reputed to have made more money for its client in seven years than Gone with the Wind made in 25. These days, however, USPs are hard to come by. Global competition...
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