Some brands have experienced impressive growth during periods where they used a really effective Unique Selling Proposition (USP), then lost market share later when they stopped.
This has occurred often enough that there seems to be a clear pattern.
Having said that, the people who changed the USP later thought for whatever reasons, they were doing the right things.
Examples of Great and Terrible USPs
Great Ones
Some of these are no longer used, and I’m not sure why. They’re great.
| M&Ms | Melts in your mouth, not in your hand. |
| Easily connect with friends. | |
| Domino’s Pizza | Fresh, hot pizza to your door in 30 minutes or less, or it’s free. |
| Avis | We’re number two. We try harder. |
| FedEx | When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. |
| Saddleback Leather | They’ll fight over it when you’re dead. |
| DeBeers | A diamond is forever. |
| Evernote | Remember everything. |
Terrible Ones
These are real, I kid you not.
| Invoice Dude | Invoice Dude is an online billing software speciality designed for small and medium businesses. |
| NovaMind | Visualize your information to get things done. |
Now let’s compare them each to a competitor who has ones that are MUCH better.
| BillFaster | Professional invoices in 7 seconds |
| The Brain | Your digital brain: organize and find everything. |
