Rosser Reeves fathered the USP advertising theory 50 years ago. His research showed that it would revolutionize advertising performance. Yet, where can you find a USP today? Certainly not in TV commercials, not in most print ads either.

Some agencies suggest you spend your ad dollars getting laughs or otherwise entertaining the audience; that will sell your product. They have many convincing arguments, too. “You have too many competitors to develop a USP” or “Your products are too generic.” My favorite: “You don’t want to turn away sales from outside your niche.” And they’re all backed up by the old standby: “The most important thing is to get your name out there.”

But is this true or is it just lazy marketing? B2B advertising with no USP is advertising with no pulling power. That fact will be obvious with the next direct mail offer that hits your desk. You will give it 3 seconds to find the USP. Otherwise it’s “hasta la vista, baby.” Advertising gets the same 3 seconds. If the hook isn’t set, the fish swim away.

Moral: get a strong USP or get a new agency.

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About the author:

Joe Schubert is the founder and CEO of Schubert Communications. He takes great pride in the agency’s B2B Sales-Centric Marketing™ approach based on many years of B2B client support. Joe keeps busy flying his Cesna, golfing, skiing and reading up on the industry’s latest trends.