Be brave - admit when you're wrong (or something's wrong with you)

Imagine the board meeting, years and years ago, when someone pitches this positioning line to Avis management:"Avis is only no.2 in rent-a-cars".

I mean, now we know it's a great marketing success story. But imagine the bravery of taking a negative, admitting it...and then turning it into a positive.

Imagine an accountant that says: The bill might hurt...but your business will feel so much better

Or a food that says: We might taste terrible, but we're ridiculously good for you (spirulina anyone?)

Or a bank that admits: Yes we have fees...but we have the service to match

I'm not a copywriter, but you get the idea. You see, brands like Joy (the most expensive perfume in the world) and Listerine (a taste you hate twice a day) took a negative, were honest and then spun a positive. Yes, these are big brands that had the advertising might to make sure we knew about them, but even for a small budget business, this type of positioning statement gets massive cut through.

But are you big enough to admit a negative?