In just over one year since its launch, the AASA Know Your Parts® campaign has garnered attention internationally. As both a logo and slogan, it is a registered trademark in the United States and Europe.

Its messages that quality automotive replacement parts matter and are as critical as accurate repair information for proper repair and maintenance have aired on national television and radio – and been applauded by professional technicians throughout the industry.

Members who attended the AASA VisCon 2011 had the opportunity to hear an inspiring presentation by Terry McCormack of Affinia. Terry is carrying his passion for the campaign beyond the conference – he is placing personal phone calls to fellow AASA member company CEOs to enlist their support for Know Your Parts. More details on Terry’s commitment to Know Your Parts, including an excerpt from his recent aftermarketNews.com “Executive Interview,” are detailed in the Know Your Parts Update in this e-newsletter here. [LINK].

Perhaps because Know Your Parts has grown so quickly, some confusion exists on what the campaign is and – more importantly – what it is not.

First and foremost, AASA Know Your Parts is an industry awareness and education campaign with a simple message: “Quality matters.” The campaign was conceived by the AASA Marketing Executives Council to elevate the image of quality premium parts suppliers and the value-added services that full service suppliers provide.

The goal is to raise awareness of the proliferation of low price, low quality products. The simple truth is that most automotive replacement parts are not subject to federal regulations and knock off versions are freely entering the North American market.

What the AASA Know Your Parts campaign is not is an effort to cast a negative image on all aftermarket parts. Promoting the high quality of replacement parts and added services has quite the opposite goal. Know Your Parts is not a certification program intended to endorse one aftermarket product over another. It does not drive consumers to OE dealers as the only reliable source of quality replacement parts.

Low quality parts are not found only in the independent aftermarket. Just as quality replacement parts are not exclusive to the OE dealer. There are many sources and outlets for trusted name-brand, quality parts.

Some repair professionals and others in the aftermarket supply chain are not aware that many aftermarket replacement parts are superior to original equipment. This is especially true as a vehicle ages. Technology advances are incorporated into replacement parts that may not have been available when the vehicle was originally produced. Other improvements in original design result in aftermarket parts which may actually exceed OE specifications.

Will the Know Your Parts campaign’s promotion of quality parts have the unintended consequence of driving consumers to the OE dealer? Absolutely not, any more than claims that repair information is not available to the independent aftermarket drive consumers to the OE dealer as the only service channel which has the information required for vehicle repair.

The Know Your Parts campaign doesn’t cast negative aspersions on the aftermarket. It aspires to improve the image of the aftermarket by raising awareness throughout the supply chain of the benefits of using premium quality products and the consequences of selling or using low quality parts.

Those full service aftermarket suppliers which place the logo in their advertising and marketing materials are not the only producers of quality parts – but they are the companies standing up within the industry and showing their support for the principles of the Know Your Parts campaign.

The AASA Know Your Parts campaign promotes informed buying decisions at the automotive service level. Price is important in today’s competitive marketplace – but quality, reputation and a healthy aftermarket image are more important. No professional at any level of the automotive aftermarket truly feels that safe and quality products are not important. Surely, the entire aftermarket can agree on that point.

AASA VisCon Follow-Up and Thank You to Our Sponsors

AASA Vision Conference (VisCon) 2011, held March 30 in Chicago, Ill., was an unqualified success. This year’s event broke all previous records with attendance of nearly 250 at VisCon and the council meetings that immediately preceded and followed it. Attendees gave it the highest attendee approval rating of all past conferences.

Every AASA VisCon attendee received two valuable publications at the event: “Aftermarket Outlook 2020” and “Focus on the Automotive Aftermarket Supplier 2011: An Annual Report.” Copies of these reports have been mailed to all AASA members now. Additional copies of “Focus on the Automotive Aftermarket Supplier 2011,” AASA’s annual report promoting full service suppliers and the association, are available upon request. Send an e-mail to media@mema.org and include your name, complete mailing address and contact information: e-mail and telephone number.

AASA extends special thanks to the companies who supported AASA VisCon 2011 and helped make it a success:

• Premier Sponsor: Ernst & Young
• AASA Board of Governors Welcome Reception Sponsor: Remy Power Products
• Networking Luncheon Sponsor: Polk
• Elite Sponsors: DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc., Experian Automotive, Foley & Lardner LLP, GCommerce, IMR Inc. and OptiCat

Steve Handschuh
President & COO
shandschuh@mema.org