5 key ingredients for every strong proposition

What makes a strong proposition and how do you know your propositions are doing the job? Learn about the art of writing a market winning proposition that will help serve your business needs.

Introduction

A proposition provides ‘an easy-to-understand reason why a customer should buy a product or service from that particular business’ (Investopedia). Despite different forms of a proposition - such as brand, business, product and employee - each serves a unified purpose to outline the incentive stakeholders benefit from in engaging with the brand, both now and in the future.

Propositions are not only established at the inception of a business, but also revisited during organisational challenges like shifts in market demand, increased competition or evolving customer needs.?

In our previous article, we highlighted the importance of early-stage businesses prioritising the creation of a brand proposition. But for larger companies, the challenge not only lies in creating one, but in managing numerous, potentially disjointed or outdated propositions.?

At ZAG, we have built many different propositions for day one startups all the way to multinational clients. And whether that’s an overarching proposition like Make Waves which drove new campaigns for Yamaha, a lifestyle focused customer value proposition for a new venture for HSBC, or brand proposition for The Open, we have developed an understanding of what makes a market winning proposition. This article outlines the five essential components of a strong proposition to help businesses deepen their understanding and assess whether their current propositions are effectively supporting their goals and ambitions.

5 key ingredients:

1. Clarity

Is it immediately clear what is being offered? One of the key mistakes for businesses is failing to explain in jargon-free language what they offer. Whether that’s in pitch decks or on the company website, it’s important to make sure the reader can easily understand the value you provide within the 6 seconds it takes to make a first impression.

2. Compulsion

Your proposition is what draws your stakeholders to you. With an influx of competitors, consumers seeking alternatives before they purchase, and employees more speculative about the culture of a business, it’s important that your proposition shows how you are different, and how you stand out from the market.?

Working with The Open, we captured the unique and unpredictable natural forces of Links golf to position the tournament as ‘Nature’s Timeless Test’ and tell the story of a ‘raw, wild and real’ tournament ‘forged by nature’.

3. Intention

Zag helped the Zing team to launch their new international payments app, backed by HSBC, the value proposition focused on ‘unlocking the freedom to live your best international life’, clearly demonstrating the aspirational customer benefit of freedom internationally, and catering directly to the identified target audience.

A powerful proposition cuts out the unnecessary, delivering a message that’s meaningful and purposeful. It speaks directly to the target audience, effectively communicating the reasons for engaging with the brand and motivating customers to form a connection. It provides product teams with a clear focus, guiding them to develop features and benefits that align closely with that value proposition.

4. Tangibility

Working with Zoopla on their first major visual overhaul, research was conducted involving buyers, renters, sellers and landlords to inform the customer value proposition. The CVP focused on bringing back the joy and excitement in what can otherwise be a stressful and transactional experience, underpinning Zoopla’s new visual identity system and updates to the products and services.?

A strong proposition should feel tangible, providing guidance on the way the business should act and behave, with greater implications on the businesses products, comms, ESG, the employee value proposition, customer experience, customer service and more.

5. Flexibility

Working with EE on their biggest brand launch in a decade, a new proposition called ‘new EE’ emphasised the business’ role broadening its horizons from traditional telecommunication services to playing a more meaningful role serving more parts of its customers’ lives.?

Strong propositions have flexibility to cater for ‘day one’ versus ‘one day’ aspirations. This balance ensures the proposition is achievable early on, yet forward-looking enough to inspire future services, initiatives and campaigns to explore. It’s about creating aspiration within the business, alongside the pragmatism of things like product development lead timelines.

What to take away

Creating a proposition is an art. It’s broad, yet targeted. Forward thinking, yet current. Punchy, yet flexible. To create a successful proposition requires awareness of your brand’s strengths and values, and integrity to embrace your brand’s characteristics.?

Getting it right is not only difficult, but it’s important to get right in order to align your strategy and marketing efforts today and in the future.?

To learn more about how we create and craft propositions for our clients please get in touch at [email protected].

About the Author

Kristie To is an Associate Strategist with a rich background in developing compelling narratives for a diverse range of clients, from financial services to entertainment. She is dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes discover and define their unique value proposition, bringing their brand ‘essence’ to life. Outside of work, she is an avid Ultimate Frisbee player, competing at an international level.