The new ad campaign for Avis, which began this summer, features a gay male couple and emphasizes a point other rental agencies cannot: “Domestic partners are automatically included as additional drivers. No extra fees charged. No questions asked.”

Like its well-known slogan says, Avis is trying harder — to win the gay market.

As the latest sign of increased advertiser interest in gays, the brand is in the middle of a multi-year blitz with customized ads for the market. It is the most any car rental company has spent on gay consumers.

“This is our biggest investment in a vertical (niche) marketing effort,” noted Scott Deaver, executive VP of marketing for Cendant Car RentalGroup, which owns Avis and Budget Rent a Car. “We made a big bet on this one, we think this is very important.”

The campaign appears in national gay magazines and in program books for gay film festivals in 10 cities. Impax Marketing, Philadelphia, developed the effort, which includes a special link to their web site that offers a $1 donation to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation per rental when using a special code. Avis also was a sponsor of the GLAAD Media Awards.

A few competing car rentals companies have made efforts to attract the gay market, but none remain, and none have yet worked to create as large a presence as Avis has. Further, most still do not treat same-sex partner drivers equal to spouses, instead charging additional fees for non-married additional drivers.

In general, an unpredictable patchwork of policies exists for all additional drivers based upon local franchise owner decisions, because many rental companies have few company-owned locations. As a further sign of inconsistency for renters, some franchises may charge for any second driver, while others may allow one extra driver free no matter whom it is. Predictably, rental agency owners at the hottest gay destinations may accommodate partners without additional fees.

Because Avis agencies are 95 percent company-owned, their agencies have virtual uniformity in a gay-inclusive second-driver policy. “Avis prides itself on treating customers better than other people treat them,” Deaver said.

Things are different at Avis sister brand Budget, recently acquired in bankruptcy. The brand ran a commercial featuring disco stereotypes last year, and has never targeted gay consumers. Budget allows spouses as second-drivers for free nationally but has no such policy for same-sex partners.

Tulsa-based Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which owns Dollar and Thrifty, has run business-to-business ads for Thrifty in the Australian Tourism publication and in Gay Travel News since January 2002. However, Thrifty generally requires unmarried couples to pay an additional driver charge.

Dollar hasn’t done any gay marketing and has varying policies.

In 1996, AutoNation’s National Car Rental System initiated a direct mail campaign to gays, but even today National only specifies “spouse, business partner, employer or fellow associate” as a free additional driver. However, National’s Emerald Club members may designate anyone as another driver free if they share a household.

Alamo Rent A Car advertised in The Advocate in 1998. Alamo charges vary but often any additional driver can incur a charge.

The Hertz Corp. — the industry leader — has never advertised in gay media but specifies a “spouse or domestic partner” free driver in most locations.

The Avis campaign has been high profile enough that the company has garnered over 100 protest letters for its campaign so far, according to Deaver. “Right wing groups are reading OUT and The Advocate, and publish to their constituencies about who’s advertising,” he said. “It’s been more than I thought it would be, and I’ve been shocked and disappointed by the mean-spiritedness of it.”

In contrast, Deaver said that the company has not received any letters from the gay community in support of the campaign.

“Avis is not the cheapest of the car rental companies,” Deaver said. “We’re the best in terms of product and service quality. Our leisure marketing strategy is to find people willing to pay more to get more.”

He realizes that won’t happen overnight. “I’m not spending enough to make something happen today,” he said, promising a multi-year effort. “One ad is not going to make everybody change their habits.”

But putting gay-friendly consumer policies in place and creating innovative, high profile, lasting advertising sure is a great start.