Why would you highlight that?

It’s great to highlight your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). In fact, you should. You should communicate to your target audience what makes you special or different than others, especially if you are in a crowded marketplace. A couple of days ago, I came across this ad in the newspaper:

The ad above has numerous claims for your attention: special pricing, free pick up, new showroom, new website AND that they have vetted their employees. In short, there’s too much. They sell rugs but they also clean rugs.

Besides having too much information, the fact this company is making sure you know that all their employees are checked out–that they have no criminal background, are drug-free and authorized to work in the US–is problematic.

The problem is that this company is  bringing up a question that perhaps was not even on their customers’  minds.  Sure, it’s good to say employees are carefully vetted, but to highlight that they have been submitted to a “rigorous background check” makes me wonder if a) they have had a problem with dishonest/criminal employees before; 2) whether this particular industry has a problem with criminals (and if so, why?) or 3) is this the most important thing I need to know about this company?

What do most customers want to know before they contract with a carpet cleaning company?  That’s the key question. This ad does not answer that. It tells me price is important as is location. I should be enticed by free pick up and delivery, and that I should rest assured that none of the employees I deal with are “illegal immigrants” or druggies or have a criminal background.

What you choose to highlight in your marketing communications pieces should be relevant to your audience’s needs.

Your thoughts?