The video above has a great example of a company using a visual comparison to make the case that they can serve you better than their competitor. In this case it’s Verizon vs. AT&T. Visual comparisons are a powerful way to market your service, product, or idea.

In his book, Back of the Napkin, Dan Roam points out another great example of a company using a visual comparison to its advantage. At the inception of Southwest Airlines, the founder drew a picture of its intended routes, a simple triangle comprised of Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. Compared to the sprawling route maps of its competitors, it was easy to make the case that Southwest would have a solid advantage in the air traffic between those Texas cities by just focusing on them instead of routing travelers between those cities to far away hubs. This comparison helped them secure funding to make the airline a reality.

Can you come up with a visual comparison that helps you show your advantages over your competitors? If you can, then you can make it work for you. If you can’t, then you probably need to rethink your product.