Underdog branding

I admire underdog brands that dare to challenge top dog brands. There are several examples of underdog brands – the classic example is Avis –We try harder. I have recently seen a Swedish example, Swedbank. In their recent marketing campaigns, the ad read: “Other banks are open (referring to open hours), we are more open.” (in Swedish, “Andra bank har öppet, vi har öppnare”). These underdog brands evoke empathy and a bit of humor, the end consumer might be willing to go from the topdog to the underdog. I am routing for the underdog. woof! woof!