Avis: 'We're Only No. 2. We Try Harder.'

Bill Bernbach of Doyle Dane Bernbach won the Avis account in 1962. Avis had been losing money for 13 consecutive years and held a distant second place behind Hertz in the rental car market. Bernbach's team didn't try to claim quality parity with Hertz. Instead, copywriter Paula Green wrote the line that became advertising canon: 'When you're not the biggest, you have to try harder. We do. We try harder.' The ads listed specific ways Avis tried harder — cleaner ashtrays, fuller gas tanks, faster service. The admitted weakness became the brand's differentiator. Avis went from losing $3.2 million annually to turning a $1.2 million profit within the first year. The tagline ran for 50 years. It is still considered the template for underdog positioning.

Bernbach's insight was that Hertz's dominance was unchallengeable on its own terms, so challenging it on those terms was futile. But a brand that openly acknowledged being second could own a different territory entirely: effort, hustle, and customer service. The underdog story is universally sympathetic. Avis didn't claim they were better — they claimed they were trying harder, which is more believable and more likable.

Turned profitable within 12 months after 13 consecutive years of losses. Market share grew from 11% to 35% relative to Hertz over the following decade. Tagline ran for 50 years. Named one of the 10 greatest advertising campaigns in history by Advertising Age. Established 'honest underdog positioning' as a legitimate strategic framework taught in every MBA marketing course.