Why does onlyness matter?
We all would prefer to believe our businesses are unique, important and doing good work.
Unless you’re actually a commodity, say like iron ore, being a commodity is not a great thing to be. And even then, you really don’t want.
Commodities have one characteristic in common.
They’re fungible.
Meaning one unit is replaceable by another identical unit. Now, this is exactly what you’d want when it comes to things like money or iron ore. Imagine if a dollar was more valuable than an other dollar?
However, when the market sees you as fungible. This has less than ideal consequences.
You essentially become invisible. You’re just another offer in a sea of many options. Nothing distinctive or unique. You’re just one of many.
What can be confusing about this is how a business may see itself and the market sees it can be two very different things. It doesn’t matter how much you claim to be unique. If the market sees you as the same, you are the same.
Just like a commodity you’re subject to market forces. Price is determined by the market and the laws of supply and demand. It in a sense means people can get the value you create from anyone.
As the saying goes, ‘only is better than best.’ Fortunately (for some) or unfortunately, most businesses would rather focus on being the best, than being the only.
Now, it’s reasonable to aim your resources at being the best. It sounds like a decent thing to do, right? In reality it’s incredibly unlikely that brands end up beating the best at what they’re the best at.
Let’s look at some examples.
You don’t beat Apple but trying to be better than Apple. You beat them by offering something different. Something they can’t do.
Instead of building just another taxi company, creating the same value that already exists, Uber created a new form of value through a technology enabled marketplace.
Instead of building a series of hotel chains, Airbnb created a new form of value in unlocking residential housing around the world.
Disrupting category leaders at their own game takes incredible resources, determination and it’s all with no guarantee of success. The best way to beat the best is to offer different forms of value. To play a new game.
If you can’t beat them, don’t. Do something else. Or at the very least, reframe the problem.
Understanding Onlyness with the Onlyness Statement
So you’re on board with the concept of onlyness? If you don’t stand out, you lose. Neat?
Marty Neimeier crafted the onlyness statement to help brands answer this question in his book Zag: What makes you the only? While it’s a simple question, answering it can be anything but easy.
So what’s the deal? Can’t we just fill out the statement and get on with it? Well, we’re social beings and sometimes it feels safer to be similar to your pairs rather than to be different right? In a sense, an outsider. Who wants that? The issue is, from the viewpoint of the market there’s nothing notable to distinguish your brand from the rest. In that sense, you’re the same.
Yes, the onlyness statement is a powerful tool to help brands articulate and define their position. But it’s not a panacea. It doesn’t in itself make you distinctive it’s just a tool to check if you are or not.
As Neimeier says, “You can’t advertise your way to onlyness—you have to start with it.”
Elements of an Onlyness Statement
Offering. Category. Benefit.
It’s that simple. Easy?
Our [OFFERING] is the only [CATEGORY] that [BENEFIT].
Think of this as a formula to check your distinctiveness. Or put another way, to check if you’re a commodity.
Let’s break this down a little further.
- What: Category
- How: Difference
- Who: Audience
- Where: Geography
- Why: Need
- When: Trend
Crafting an Onlyness Statement
We have the elements, now what? Let’s bring it together.
[Company Name] is the only [type of company/product] that [unique offering] for [target audience] in [market] who want to [customer motivation] during a time of [cultural trend].
Examples of Onlyness Statements:
So what does this look like in practice? It’s kinda easy when you’re already universally known and have clear distinctions. See the examples of Apple & Shopify.
Apple:
Apple is the only consumer technology company that provides a seamlessly integrated ecosystem of premium devices, software, and services for discerning users in the global market who want to experience an intuitive, cohesive digital lifestyle during a time of increasing demand for connected, privacy-conscious technology.
Shopify:
Shopify is the only e-commerce platform that offers an all-in-one, scalable solution for entrepreneurs and businesses in the global market who want to easily create and manage online stores without technical barriers during a time of rapid digital transformation and increasing demand for online shopping.
