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A History of One of the World’s Most Recognized Taglines:
“We Try Harder”
The phrase “We Try Harder” has gone down in advertising
history as one of the longest-lasting and respected taglines. The
origination of the slogan was not to create a cute, gimmick, but instead it was
– and is -- a business philosophy that every Avis employee holds true. “We Try
Harder” has helped Avis earn a reputation as one of the most admired businesses
in the world.
Following is a
brief history of the brand:
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In 1962, after Avis spent thirteen years in the red, newly appointed
president Robert C. Townsend recognized that Avis needed to refresh its image
and hired the hot and creative advertising agency of Doyle Dane and Bernbach
(DDB) to turn business around.
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Prior to DDB working with Avis, Bill Bernbach, co-founder of DDB,
recommended to Avis management that they overhaul their customer service and
upgrade their product before drafting a single ad. His reasoning, “It’s always
a mistake to make good advertising for a bad product.”
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To create the initial ads 1963, DDB spent ninety days learning Avis’
business and spent many hours in meetings talking to Avis employees about the
company.
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During those first meetings between DDB and Avis, a simple question
was asked by DDB, “Why does anybody ever rent a car from you?” The reply is
what made advertising history:
“We try harder because we have to.”
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DDB’s top art director, Helmut Krone, already intended to center the
campaign on the phrase:
“Avis is only No. 2.”It
was copywriter Paula Green who remembered what she learned during those first
research meetings with Avis, and added the now-famous phrase:
“We try harder.”
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In an attempt to convince potential customers that Avis simply tried
harder than everybody else, the entire ad campaign was focused on frank and
truthful statements about Avis’ business philosophy. To communicate this to the
field, the entire management team at Avis traveled to every branch location
across the country, spoke with every single employee and explained that the
success of the campaign and of their business hinged upon providing superior
customer service every chance they got.
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Each Avis employee also received a copy of new Avis ads in his or
her pay envelope before each campaign would run.
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In just one year, the campaign literally changed the fortunes of the
Company. Prior to the campaign, Avis had just $34 million in revenue and
losses of $3.2 million. One year later, revenues had jumped to $38 million and
for the first time in thirteen years, Avis turned a profit of $1.2 million.
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The biggest short-term success of the campaign was found in Avis’
market share, which grew from 11 percent in 1962 to an amazing 35 percent in
1966.
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Due to the success of the campaign, Avis’ advertising budget
increased from $1.7 million in 1963 to $6.2 million four years later.
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