Your USP is the Key to Effective OTT

In his 1960 classic, Reality in Advertising, ad man Rosser Reeves (who may have been the inspiration for Mad Men’s Don Draper) defined the concept of a Unique Selling Proposition:

What is a USP? It is a theory of the ideal selling concept. It is a condensation – a verbal shorthand, if you will – of what makes a campaign work.

Reeves outlines three criteria for a USP:

1. “Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer.” He defined this as saying to the consumer: “Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit.”
2. “The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer.” That is, “it must be unique.”
3. “The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions.”

So what does this piece of 60-plus-year-old advertising wisdom have to do with anything today? As it happens, it answers a common question clients ask us about OTT.

Over-The-Top (OTT) media has emerged as a significant and innovative approach to content delivery. It refers to the distribution of video content directly to consumers through Internet-based platforms, bypassing traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions. This modern method has transformed the advertising landscape, with platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video becoming key players in reaching consumers.

However, there’s a problem for performance-based advertisers: Many still use longer formats such as two-minute (:120) commercials. OTT providers only accept 30-second spots. As a result, our clients often struggle with the challenge of cutting down their commercials. This can be an even more pressing issue when considering TikTok and other forms of influencer advertising. That’s when we get the common question mentioned earlier: How can we create a 30-second version of our commercial that will deliver similar results?

Here’s where Mr. Reeves comes in. In our experience, clients who most efficiently manage to capture their USP in their spots get the best results by far. Any advertiser hoping to do well with OTT would be smart to revisit his wisdom and apply his criteria to their creative approach.