Sometimes, admitting to your biggest weaknesses can be a source of strength.

Classic example: Avis, the number two car-rental firm in the US, saying “We’re number two, so we try harder.” This became a strong selling point for Avis because it gave credibility to their claim of having better service.

And then there’s the classic Volkswagen ads in the 1960s that admitted that “this year’s Volkswagen will still be ugly.”

It doesn’t sound like a nice way to promote a product. But the thing is, it worked because ads like these operate on a different level.

Here’s why: most people know that most ads work on a hyper-real level. Ads make promises but the company its target audience have a silent understanding that the ads’ promises are just make-believe. For instance, when a shampoo brand promises rich, vibrant hair, both the company and the ad viewers know that the bouncy hair being shown on screen doesn’t really happen in real life.

But when an ad admits to a glaring truth about the product, it breaks this artificial barrier. Suddenly, the ad’s consumers realize that “hey, this company is actually being real with us!”

In Dudley Moore’s 1990 classic movie “Crazy People,” this concept was pushed to the limits. Hence, there was an ad for a Volvo, for instance, that says “We’re boxy, but we’re safe.” It cut straight to the message of the car. More hilarious was a hypothetical tourism ad for Greece: “Don’t go to France. The French are grumpy. Come to Greece. We’re nicer.”

Application: Imagine the power of this ploy when applied to, of all things, politics (consider this a tribute to the just-concluded elections).

Imagine that you’re the PR person for President Arroyo, and your constant challenge is one of trying to improve her popularity. At the same time, the good president is known for her temper and for her blunt level of candor.

Solution: Let the president admit to this on national TV. Instead of trying to look overly nice and friendly on her national addresses (which people can see through in the first place), have the President just be herself, stern and intimidating. And make this her strength.

Message: “Yes, I’m short-tempered and impatient and I’m not easy to deal with. But I get things done and I’m all business, so if you want to talk about the economy, that’s my forte.” Have her admit to this herself.

That’s keeping it real. The admission of a weakness makes the acceptance of the positive part of the message so much easier to digest. Suddenly, there is a lot of credibility to ride on.

If you have a product that has a very glaring weakness, instead of pretending that the weakness does not exist, admit to it… and then go on to state what makes your product worth getting despite this weakness. Your message picks up a whole lot of impact.

“We’re boxy, but we’re safe.”