Why the Single Minded Proposition is so important

Gone are the days of repetitive and generic campaigns, today’s marketing landscape demands creativity, authenticity, and distinctiveness. Crafting an effective single minded proposition is your tool to cut through the noise and make an impact. Unlike a tagline, your single minded proposition is your brand’s North Star, guiding your communication strategy and inspiring creativity. It’s not about shouting the loudest, but about speaking with purpose and delivering value.

Just as Persil transformed a mundane category with “Dirt is Good,” your brand can leave a lasting impression by uncovering its own unique proposition. Let your single minded proposition be the foundation of creativity, driving campaigns that not only capture attention but also inspire genuine connections.

If the journey to finding your single minded proposition feels daunting, then this article is a great place to start.

So, what is an single minded proposition?

Not to be confused with a tagline or strapline, a single minded proposition is the one compelling reason that a consumer would want to buy your product or use your service. It should be viewed as the most important thing that you can say about your brand. It sits at the heart of a great marketing story as we talked about with Persil. It can also be known as a Key Message or One Important Thing or Key Takeaway or Point of Differentiation.

It is a simple statement and it’s never more than a sentence. It’s about ditching the all the waffle and cutting to the chase.

Here are a couple of great examples of SMPs from campaigns that you may recall:

Why is a single minded proposition so important?

The marketplace is crowded with competitors offering similar products with comparative benefits, targeting the same customers.  But being completely frank, telling customers what you do isn’t actually that important. What you do for your customers is the most important. This is truer than ever, given the top-down communication approach is pretty much redundant in today’s world and most brands are now fighting to find new and engaging ways to encourage participation with their products and services.

The very best communications focus on one thing; Simple-Minded Proposition. Of course, your product has many great features and benefits that will endlessly enrich lives and are worth shouting loud and proud about. But if you try and cram as many messages as possible into your communication strategy, you risk meaning nothing to anyone. The campaign message quickly becomes diluted.

So ultimately, if you can land on a killer single minded proposition, the thinking of your marketing team, creative team and/or agency will be much more streamlined ensuring the creative juices will be flowing from the outset. A great SMP is memorable and brave! But most importantly, a great SMP can lead to memorable campaigns that evoke emotion in the consumer and make communications much more effective.

What’s the difference between a tagline and single minded proposition?

An SMP is usually not customer-facing or for public consumption. It inspires creative and kick-starts big thinking. A tagline on the other hand more about customers and the value your product provides. Think of it like this – the SMP is the umbrella or ‘North Star’ in the creative process. All communications (including the tagline) should fall from the SMP.

There are however some rare occasions where the SMP and tagline are the same for example – Apple iPod – 1000 songs in your pocket.

How to write a SMP

1. What are THE most important features of your product or service?

Write down the best features of the product or service. What makes your product unique? These are rational, literal things. Dig into the data to understand your customers. Become the consumer. Get to know the product well. Which feature will talk to more of the target market? What can your brand own? What can you claim that the competition can’t?

2. What are the benefits of the features you’ve identified?

Think about what’s in it for the end user. Which feature stands out the most? Why do they care? How do you improve the quality of your customers lives? Remember that benefits talk to the heart. Simply tell your customers why they want it.

3. Agree on one thing that will drive a customer to purchase.

Create a shortlist of everything you’ve written down above and agree on one thing. Remember, deciding what not to communicate is just as important as deciding what to communicate. From here you’ll be able to draft your SMP and you may well go through many, many iterations before one sticks. Remember the Dirt is Good. We know research tells us that consumers respond much better to one idea, so be brave and don’t dilute it.

4. The elevator pitch

Einstein said: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Can you say it in one sentence without having to explain anything further? Could you put it on a billboard in Piccadilly Circus on a busy Friday night and your consumer would want to buy your product or service? If the answer is yes, then you might just have landed your killer proposition.

Are you struggling to define your single minded proposition or find one that sticks? If so, then we have a talented team of BIG thinkers experienced in future-proofing brands, just get in touch.