Kelford Labs Daily: One word rather than two
Focus on less, not more.
“The most effective words are simple and benefit oriented. No matter how complicated the product, no matter how complicated the needs of the market, it's always better to focus on one word or benefit rather than two or three or four.”
— Trout & Ries, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Every “And” we use when we describe our product reduces our credibility.
Call it the “dilution effect” or the “buffet problem,” the situation is the same: the more we have to offer, the less valuable our offering becomes.
We can do lots of things, but when we talk to our customers, we’ve got to remember that variety is usually a cost, not a benefit.
Sometimes some businesses are built on the very concept of variety—of having lots of options or lots of items to choose from. But with that position comes tradeoffs, like very rarely being known simultaneously as having both the most and the best.
If we want to be the most credible, better to promote less than more.
As Jack Trout and Al Ries wrote, “Better to focus on one word or benefit rather than two or three or four.”
