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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Had to get this off my chest: Is there an award for the worst USP of all time?
There is a company that advertises on TV here. Just about every night. Seven freakin' nights a week, 4 weeks a month...you get the idea. But every time they end the ad, they end with the absolute DUMBEST, most feckless USP of all time. And it makes me want to scream! And it goes like this : "XYZ company. Committed to be the best!" Well duh!! I would hope you are! Aren't we ALL? I certainly hope you're not in business to be the WORST!! But if you'll pardon me for asking, why should I do business with you over ABC company?? Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggghhh! That's just about as dumb as the commercials that say "Don't take such and such medicine if you are allergic to it." Well duh! Yeah. I always take meds I'm allergic to because I just "love" allergic reactions!! You're telling me I'm an idiot, right??? Just had to get that off my chest.
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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Mindpro Eternal Order 10587 Posts |
I completely agree with some of the dumb logic used in disclaimers. So many times the "possible side effects" are worse than the original ailment in the first place. "....and possible death." I'd rather suffer with the original ailment! (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hemorrhoids, pink eye, stubbed toe...). By the way...don't use that toaster in the bath tub!
As far as the USP, soooo many people do not understand what a USP truly is. They "Think" they do, and as you can see this is the type of result coming from "what they think.' This is most frustrating to me as the time and effort they are putting into getting it wrong and what they think is right, is far less than the actual time than it would take to commit to actually learning what it really is AND how it should actually be used. I had to get that off of my chest like you. |
daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Absolutely!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts |
The entire advertising industry is designed to lead sheep to the checkout counter.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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magicfish Inner circle 7006 Posts |
What's a USP?
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Comedy Writer Special user 594 Posts |
USP = unique selling proposition. Its part of branding; what make you (or your business/ offing) unique.
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 5, 2018, Comedy Writer wrote: The USP is the part where they rope the calf and tie three of its legs together. The branding follows. |
Mindpro Eternal Order 10587 Posts |
Not sure why this was moved out of the business section. USP is definitely a business topic.
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arthur stead Inner circle When I played soccer, I hit 1773 Posts |
Once while traveling on a train in India, we passed by a waste management company whose USP was: "You poop, we scoop".
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 4, 2018, daffydoug wrote: I think the premise is that they're telling you they're striving to be the BEST, no just "run of the mill." Nobody would expect them to be bragging about being the WORST. Quote:
That's just about as dumb as the commercials that say "Don't take such and such medicine if you are allergic to it." That's a legal thing. They have to show that they warned you that there's a possibility of allergic reactions to the product. Make certain to clear this with your doctor and if you don't, it's not our fault.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 5, 2018, Mindpro wrote: Point being, they're not saying "If you take this, ALL these things will happen to you while we are curing your condition." But, for legal reasons, they HAVE to let you know that these are POTENTIAL problems that have been observed in SOME patients. What I have loved is that the person making the statement has to be as upbeat and chipper as they explain these things up to "and possible death!"
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Yeah, that makes me laugh, too!
They play HAPPY UPBEAT music in the background to manipulate your brain, and they often use a female with a gentle, soooooooothing voice to lull you into buying the poison. They ought to be playing FREDDY KREUGER music!! They play the sunshiney music and show people romping through the fields with puppies, while they are pretty much saying "This s#%t will kill you!! And they do the same crap cigarette manufacturers used to do decades ago when they would say stupid crap like "Refreshing menthol taste!!" Or show people in love romping through fields of daisies and all that other ridiculous crap! I believe that one was Salem. Camel was the one that made you crave it so much that you'd walk a mile for it. All my ears pick up is stuff like "New or worsening heart failure!" Or ""May reduce your ability to fight infections." You mean this stuff is going to weaken my immune system??? Yeah. That's what I've always wanted. A weak immune system. I just love having no ability to fight off infections. Or they will say "Can increase chance of heart attack or stroke, which may be fatal. No!!! Seriously? A heart attack or stroke can actually kill me? Wow! I never knew that! And above everything, you will DANCE! Yeah, just watch all the Fred Astaire wanna be's in the adds, and you will quickly get the message that if you take XYZ brand, you will instantly be dancing better than a Leo Sayer song. And you don't even need to take a lesson! That one add always showed the goofy looking guy dancing everywhere he went. He was boogying at the office, dancing while he walked his dog, hoofing while he prepared a meal.... Wow. Guess if I ever want to compete n Dancing With The Stars, I just got to pop a couple of the magic pills. Give me a break!!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
I’m sorry, daffy. By law, they have to warn you of POSSIBLE side effects. It’s not a given that these medications will do these things to you, but they have to warn you of worse case scenarios.
By all means, if you wish, continue to suffer from your condition (if you have one) rather than take the chance on finding relief.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 6, 2018, ed rhodes wrote: "I think the premise is that they're telling you they're striving to be the BEST, no just "run of the mill." Nobody would expect them to be bragging about being the WORST." Understood. But they are still stating the obvious. It should be OBVIOUS that anybody in business wants to be the best! If you're in it to be the worst, you're brain must be pretty screwed up! But that doesn't tell me the ADVANTAGE of doing business with them as opposed to Joe Blow down the street. That's what a USP is. It tells me the advantage you offer that your competition doesn't. It tells me why I should do business with you and not them. These people are to be pitied if they don't know how to write an effective USP. They haven't even gotten off of first base as far as marketing!
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
You want a comparative UPC; “Sign up with Cox Cable because we have a voice activated remote, Verizon doesn’t!” “Sign up with Verizon because we have a faster, fiber-optic system, Cox Cable doesn’t!”
You are a cautious consumer. 99% of the people out there aren’t. Their brain works on the sub-conscious level; they see product ABC and their brain equates it with happy, satisfied people and the idea that this is the “best.” It’s perfectly good USP writing, it’s just not directed at a cautious consumer like you. It’s directed at the subconscious, superficial consumer, like the other 99% of the population.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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0pus Inner circle New Jersey 1739 Posts |
Some of these drug advertisements/disclaimers are perplexing - they have no content.
For example, they spend virtually all of the time telling you if you suffer from [XXX], you should be taking [drug]. I assume that they are addressing someone who has not yet taken [drug]. They are not saying, "If you are taking [drug], you should be taking more." They are looking for new consumers. Then, when they say, "You should not take [drug] if you are allergic to it or its ingredients," what is the consumer to take away from that? Never having taken [drug], how is the consumer supposed to know if he or she is allergic to it? And, never having been told of [drug]'s ingredients, how is the consumer supposed to know if he or she is allergic to its ingredients? These 'disclaimers' are nothing more than intellectual noise. |
ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
The customer is supposed to consult with his/her doctor to conduct tests to see if there’s a sensitivity to the drug in question.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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daffydoug Eternal Order Look mom! I've got 14077 Posts |
Quote:
On Aug 3, 2018, 0pus wrote: Not to mention that only an IDIOT, or an absolute moron would take something they are allergic to! "Oh, look Martha! Stop the car! I see a field of poison ivy over there! Stop the car so I can run through it!!! Maybe if I'm lucky I'll break out so badly that I'l require hospitalization for two weeks. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!! I just LOVE allergic reactions!!!"
The difficult must become easy, the easy beautiful and the beautiful magical.
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The Hermit Veteran user 301 Posts |
None of this stuff is a USP. Also, a USP is not a statement.
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