What is your agency’s USP, really?
What makes you stand out?
I was an inquisitive newbie. At my first agency, I asked a leading light what our unique selling proposition was, and found the answer (“our thinking”) wholly unsatisfactory.
How can an agency’s thinking be its differentiating factor when:
- Agency staff job-hop like we’re in a constant game of musical chairs
- I’d like to think they are hired for the quality of their own brains, not their ability to fall into line with the agency’s accepted mantra, however sexy that may be (such as 360-degree brand stewardship)
- It was apparent even then that we weren’t in the business of rocket science, and the barriers to entry reflected that (see my earlier related post)
An agency is the sum of its individuals’ thinking. The composition of that group is in such a constant state of flux that no agency can lay claim to having the best collection of brains in the business.
So what is it then – stress-tested processes? Unparalleled experience? Basement prices? Proprietary tools? Amazingly responsive service? Local market penetration?
The sooner agencies come to terms with their true (as opposed to assumed) USP, the better for clients whose own USPs these agencies leverage.
funnily, the people who are supposed to have created the concept of USP could also be the ones who are struggling with their USPs. i should say that if you asked me now, what our USP is… (and we just got asked actually, though in a different question-form), I am not so sure… now that’s a bad thing, isn’t it? thanks for the articles; they’re very enlightening. cheers.
Thanks Phil, very kind.
Yep, I was just asked point blank a few days ago about value proposition, and I can’t say I had a readymade answer at hand.
By the way, you may have noticed I pick up topics liberally from your blog
A USP feels somewhat restricted and just blatantly untrue in an era of multi-disciplined agencies – the fact that ‘our thinking’ is better than any other agency’s thinking is pretty difficult to quantify. ‘Selling points’, on the other-hand, makes an agency feel altogether more multi-faceted. It is definitely worth defining what your agency stands for but a Unique Selling Point is something of a fruitless exercise. For the record, my agency Collective stands for Passion – we like what we do; Inventiveness – we’re good at what we do; Simplicity – we look for the least complicated option when doing it, and Delivery – what we do gets done on time. We don’t have a USP.
http://www.collectivelondon.com
Pete,
I agree that multi-disciplinary agencies with multi-faceted capabilities may be making it difficult to identify truly unique selling propositions. I also have to say I love the Who we are page on your website in particular, and I appreciate your agency ethos.
But for the sake of argument – and at the risk of sounding obtuse – what if I suggested Passion-Inventiveness-Simplicity-Delivery was great as an agency-centric world view? From the perspective of a hardnosed client, what do you offer (in concrete terms) that others don’t? Why should a prospective client pick your agency?
Because you collaborate well with clients and partners, so working together will be painless? Because you have a track record of using rich media in innovative ways? I’ve never been a client marketer, but those reasons sound about as good and concrete as any.
Absolutely agree with you and any agency worth’s it’s salt should aspire to be able to collaborate, be creative, be innovative etc. But I believe that examples of our work should truly reflect our selling points of Passion, Inventiveness, Simplicity and Delivery. So if there was ever a USP for Collective it would be examples of our work or is it the way we work? Not sure you’re allowed 2 USPS…
Perhaps what we are looking for is not necessarily a USP in the traditional sense – but an attempt to describe the philosophy, the values, and the raison d’etre of an agency or that of an agency.
“Passion, Inventiveness, Simplicity, and Delivery” – I think – are great values on which your company, Pete, could be built on. But it’s in the “realization” of these values on a daily basis – and in campaigns – that will matter.
Taking on a client’s perspective, there is also merit to what Long Tale says – “so what?” That’s where credentials, best cases, best practices, and people come in, I think.
For the sake of argument: Are we still in the era of USPs? Aren’t brands far more complicated now to be captured by a single, unique selling proposition that is set on stone? And as such, agency-USPs are also difficult to pin down… right?
Perhaps not unique per se – but key selling point(s).
As this discussion goes on, I’m beginning to see agency values-KSPs and features-benefits having the same relationship as the so-called 4 Ps and 4 Cs of the marketing mix. They’re the same thing seen from different perspectives; and sometimes casting it in the world view of the other party (more often than not the client) makes it that bit more palatable.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Phil and Pete.