A USP is a Unique Selling Proposition. Not to be mistaken with a value proposition, although the difference between both can be blurry. In 2013, the digital agency where I worked insisted on one of those fundamentals: a site had to include a USP in order to stand out of the competition. Back to the theory: successful brands focus on a single, by definition, customer-centric value, and multiple emotional values.
A single customer-oriented value:
Taste
Efficiency
Dosage
Lifecycle
Recipe
Fragrance
Freshness
Several emotional values:
Home
Family
Adventure
Tradition
Responsibility
Creativity
Environment
Beauty
At Vanden Borre, the USP is right under the logo: confidence. Sometimes the USP is identifiable in the tagline, either explicitly or implicitly.
Smartwool: "go far, feel good."
→ Customer-oriented value: life span
→ Emotional value: well-being
USP, tagline, value proposition, is there a difference?
Quite frankly, there isn’t. A tagline is a value proposition and the reverse can be true. A USP, on the other hand, is more specific and may well take the form of or end up in a tagline. The goal is to make the right connections that make sense and make your brand understandable. If you find it difficult to identify your value proposition, here’s a tip to describe it in the broadest way before taking a leap to a shorter version, a tagline, more condensed and easy to understand. Translating both your USP and value proposition.
OUR (products and services) …….
HELP (customer segments) …….
WHO WANT (aspiration of clients) …….
AND (verb: be, have, avoid, reduce + customer benefit) …….
Optional CONTRARY TO (competing value proposition) …….
Need some inspiration? Try the slogan maker on Shopify.