AVIS is No. 2. We Try Harder
Last class, we saw the effectiveness of of Buckleys “Tastes Awful, But It Works” ad campaign. The reason it was so effective was because by mentioning a negative aspect of the product, it conveyed honesty to the viewers. However, as discussed in class, this approach worked for Buckley’s because the customers were looking for a product to make them feel better, not a product that necessarily tasted good. It would be much more difficult to use this kind of approach for other products.
When Avis, a car rental company, was struggling behind the market leader Hertz, they came up with a brilliant ad campaign with a bold statement: “Avis is only No.2.”This ad was extremely credible to the customers due to the honesty of this statement along with its clean, non-fluffy, straight to the point message stating that Avis worked harder than Hertz because they were only no.2.
Thanks to this ad, Avis sales rose from a 10% annual increase to a 35% annual increase and “We Try Harder” became one of the most famous campaigns.
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Two sided messages, in which both positive and negative information is provided to the customer, can be very effective if used properly. However, not all brands can provide negative information about their product without pushing customers away. If a brand’s positive effects outweigh the negative, displaying the negatives gives the consumer a sense of trust with the brand. They feel as though they know everything about the product before purchasing it, and therefore have a higher likelihood of being satisfied with the brand. Buckley’s is a great example of this. Their slogan “It tastes awful, and it works” provides the negative part of the ad first, ending with the positive aspect so it is the last thing in the customer’s mind.
I agree, even though they’re addressing the fact that they’re number 2, they are using that to their advantage. Consumers are always overwhelmed with options and trying to decide which product is the best choice. If I was a consumer planning a vacation, and in need of a rental car for the duration of my stay, I’d be looking up rates from all sorts of car rental companies. However, this ad simplifies the decision by stating which one is number 1 and 2 in this product category. Therefore, it could narrow down the search for those that don’t want to devote a lot of time to renting a car and focus more of their time energy on planning the vacation.
Reblogged this on Naomithinksthat and commented:
when it comes to Branding for your business at times honesty truly does work better