Avis and Collective Shift Gears with ‘Your Journey Matters’

In a category obsessed with speed and scale, Avis is asking a different question: What if car rental felt more human? With 'Your Journey Matters,' the brand’s new creative platform, Avis and Collective are dialling down the product specs and zooming in on emotional clarity, thoughtful service, and trust. From AI-assisted concepting to continent-wide adaptation, the work is underpinned by a deeply embedded collaboration between Avis and Collective’s in-house offering, Content Studio. In this interview, brand manager Jon Schaaf and Content Studio’s Kim Terrell share how the campaign came to life - and why putting people first is no longer a luxury, it’s the baseline.

Q> What does 'Your Journey Matters' mean to you, and why was now the right time for this brand evolution?

Jon Schaaf, Avis> 'Your Journey Matters' isn’t a slogan - it’s a statement of intent. It reflects our commitment to putting the customer at the heart of everything we do. Every journey, whether work or leisure, is personal and deserves to be smooth and stress-free.
It’s a natural evolution of our famous 'We Try Harder.' You can create a complete sentence: 'We Try Harder because Your Journey Matters.'

This campaign is about elevating car rental from a transaction to something more human and considered. It’s about enabling people to travel on their terms, with confidence and ease. That means fewer queues, faster pick-ups, and thoughtful service.

Post-pandemic travel has changed. Customers are more discerning than ever, and we’ve worked hard behind the scenes to improve the experience accordingly.

Kim Terrell, Collective> To me, it represents Avis reaffirming its commitment to both loyal and new customers by adding a more emotional layer to the brand. It’s about moving beyond a transaction to something deeper and more human. This campaign signals a fresh chapter that aligns perfectly with the times. After a global pause, the world is ready to move forward, and so is the brand.

Q> The campaign deliberately shifts focus from product to people. What inspired that reframing, and what impact are you hoping it has on customers?

Jon> For years, we looked to our US counterparts, where Avis and Budget serve distinct audiences. But in EMEA, Avis has to cover both business and leisure. That means adopting a more inclusive tone. 'Your Journey Matters' brings warmth without sacrificing our clarity and confidence.

We’re proud of what we do, and now, we want people to feel that pride too. It’s about showing what a difference thoughtful service can make.

Kim> There’s a collective sense of vulnerability in the world, accelerated by the pandemic, but deeper than that. People crave connection and trust. I hope this work helps them feel confident, supported, and inspired to explore again, knowing they can get from A to B effortlessly.

Q> This campaign was born from a close, embedded collaboration. How does Content Studio differ from other in-housing offerings?

Jon> Content Studio has become a seriously capable team. Being close to the brand makes everything, from creative alignment to last-minute amends, faster and smoother. What sets them apart is their blend of craft and agility. Everyone has a specialism, but there’s real crossover and collaboration.

On this project, they took the hero edit and raw footage and adapted it for multiple markets and channels, handling all versioning and post-production. We never had to compromise on quality to move fast.

Being London-based gives us access to top-tier creative talent who are invested in the brand. It’s a great balance of client and agency-side experience, a proving ground for young and experienced creatives alike.

Kim> Content Studio stands out because of its flexibility and precision. We’re deeply integrated, which allows us to fine-tune the work with a level of nuance that’s hard to replicate. Add a seamless link to the wider agency team, and you’ve got something special. As a standalone, they’re a powerhouse - agile, fast, and always chasing the best creative outcome.

Q> You used generative AI early in the concepting phase - how did that influence speed, alignment, or creative decisions?

Jon> It gave us a massive head start. Having an animated concept, with temp voiceover and soundtrack, brought the idea to life early, even for stakeholders who aren’t typically close to the creative.

One colleague said she felt emotional watching it. Another thought we could’ve run with the AI version as-is (though I’m not sure the world’s quite ready for a cartoon version). More importantly, it gave us a shared vision. So once we hit set, we could shoot with purpose and capture those unscripted moments that elevated the final film.

Kim> AI helped us accelerate, align, and free up headspace to explore. Using it for VO and storyboarding gave us a strong, clear creative north star. Traditionally, that would’ve required more time-consuming methods - this streamlined everything and allowed for smarter development.

Q>  How do you ensure an ad that will appear in so many different European territories hits home in each?

Jon> It started with research - lots of it! We rooted every creative decision in insight to ensure tone and feel resonated across the region. But visuals were just the start; we also needed the campaign’s sentiment to translate culturally and emotionally.

We pressure-tested messaging to make sure it held meaning across markets, not just linguistically, but contextually. With 14 languages across 22 countries, nuance was key. It took care, but the result is something locally relevant that still feels like one brand.

Kim> We worked closely with each market to ensure tone and cultural nuance were right. That level of collaboration and research means our campaigns have become sharper and more aligned with each iteration, and the results show it.

Q> What have you learned, either creatively or strategically, from launching this work, and how will that shape what comes next?

Jon> We’ve learned people respond to honesty. When you strip things back and speak to what matters - clarity, trust, and a bit of heart - it lands. And it proves you don’t need a huge budget to make an impact. Just a strong idea, well-executed.

As we approach our 80th year, we’ve got a flexible brand platform that can stretch across products, partnerships, and campaigns. It’s a great foundation to build on.

Kim> This campaign lays the groundwork for what comes next. Its emotional clarity and resonance will guide our approach into 2026 and beyond. There’s so much potential to evolve and expand - it’s an exciting place to grow from.