The origin Story: Embracing Second Place
In 1962, the car rental industry in the United States was completely dominated by one giant: Hertz. Avis was trailing far behind in a distant second place and had been losing money for over a decade. Desperate for a turnaround, Avis executives approached the legendary advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) with a small budget and a monumental task.
During the research phase, copywriter Paula Green asked Avis management a simple question: "Why should anyone rent a car from you?" The honest, somewhat defeated answer was, "We try harder because we have to." Green instantly recognized the power of that raw honesty. Instead of pretending to be the biggest or the best, DDB decided to lean directly into Avis's underdog status.
Meaning: The Promise of Better Service
The slogan "We're No. 2. We Try Harder." broke every conventional rule of marketing. At the time, advertising was all about claiming dominance and supremacy. Admitting you were second best was considered brand suicide.
However, the psychological brilliance of the slogan lay in how it reframed the customer's expectation. By admitting they weren't the biggest, Avis implicitly suggested that the industry leader (Hertz) was complacent, lazy, and took customers for granted. The slogan promised that because Avis was hungry for business, they would go the extra mile—their ashtrays would be cleaner, their gas tanks fuller, and their counter staff friendlier. It transformed a corporate weakness into a compelling consumer benefit.
Impact & Legacy: The Ultimate Underdog Victory
The campaign was an absolute sensation. Within a single year, Avis went from losing $3.2 million to turning a profit of $1.2 million—the first time the company had been profitable in 13 years. The campaign resonated deeply with the American public, who naturally love rooting for a hardworking underdog.
The slogan was so culturally embedded that people began wearing "We Try Harder" buttons. Avis used the tagline continuously for an astonishing 50 years before finally retiring it in 2012. It remains one of the most studied and revered examples of positioning strategy in the history of business, proving that radical transparency can be the ultimate competitive advantage.