Amongst other things, perhaps one of the most daunting tasks of life is to acknowledge & own the truth, no matter how bitter it is. The truth about ourselves, of how lacking we are compared to our peers & rivals, is one of the prickiest. But what if we use this weakness & transform it into an asset? Yes, it can be done. Avis did it in the 1960s.
Amongst the significant 'rent a car' brands like Hertz, Avis was ranked at no. 2 at the time. In an industry like that, where every competitor boasted of clean cars & fantastic customer service, there was a little window to gain the spotlight. That's why Avis decided to be honest & came up with one of the effective copy lines over the years - 'Avis is only No.2... We try harder.' They created their campaign around the fact that we know we aren't the best & that's why we can't afford to leave out any little detail for you.
They made sure that customers felt at ease by directly roping in the then president of Avis in their customer care operations.
To conclude, the brand Avis reflects honesty, warmth & humility. These values helped them to gain the much-wanted uniqueness in their industry. But, of course, all this couldn't have been possible without detailed research.