Punch above your weight

In 1962, Avis was getting destroyed by Hertz.

They had 11% market share.
Hertz had 60%.

So they did something most brands would never: they admitted they were number two.

"We're only No. 2 in rent a cars. So why go with us? We try harder."

That campaign turned everything around. Not because they pretended to be bigger than they were, but because they leaned into what made them different.

Now this is what most brands get wrong about competing:
They think punching above your weight means acting bigger, spending more, shouting louder.
It doesn't.

It means finding the one position no competitor can take from you, then owning it completely.

Because there's only one you

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Look at Liquid Death. They sell water. Water.

In a market dominated by giants like Evian and Fiji, they decided to look like an energy drink, talk like a heavy metal band, and position themselves against plastic waste with the attitude of an activist group.

They're not trying to out-Evian Evian.
They're being the only water brand that could sponsor a Slayer concert.

Or Patagonia, telling people not to buy their jacket unless they really need it. While every other outdoor brand screams about their latest collection available on Black Friday, Patagonia carves out a position around sustainability and responsible buying that competitors can't touch without looking like frauds.

This is the paradox: the smaller you are, the bolder you need to be about what makes you different (and the more leeway you have to make mistakes).

That's the eternal debate of commodities versus brands:

Commodities sell what they do.
Water hydrates. Cars transport. Clothes cover you.

Brands connect on something deeper.
They stand for something beyond the transaction.

And standing for something unique, something true to who you are, something legitimate competitors couldn't credibly claim even if they wanted to - that's how you compete when you don't have the biggest budget, or the biggest team.

Most companies are terrified of being different because different feels risky.

But you know what's actually risky?
Being forgettable.

Your competitors can copy your features, match your pricing, even poach your talent.

They can't copy the unique position you carve out when you're honest about who you are and brave enough to stand for it.

So if you're a smaller brand trying to compete with giants, stop trying to be a smaller version of them.

Find what makes you genuinely different. The thing that's true about your company that couldn't be true about theirs.

Then turn the volume up on that until it's all anyone remembers about you.

That's how you punch above your weight.