Who Better to Describe the Mission of Styling & Performance Than Group VP Jim Savas?
To get things started, we have a talk with Automotive Aftermarket Group (AAG) Vice President Jim Savas.S&P: Tell us a little bit about your newest publication, Styling & Performance.
Savas: "Styling & Performance is more than a magazine; it's a brand. Not only does it involve the PROSUMER magazine, Styling & Performance, there is also the 'Internet Connection.' We define PROSUMER as a trade publication with high-impact visuals combined with hard-hitting business-to-business content."
S&P: Well, let's start with the magazine.
Savas: "Nobody offered business-to-business coverage of all the segments of the automotive aftermarket–until now. What we have here is an opportunity to create a brand to cross over the three major segments of the automotive aftermarket: the traditional aftermarket, the high-performance aftermarket and the emerging OE/new-car/new-truck dealer aftermarket."
S&P: Don't you already cover the automotive aftermarket with Aftermarket Business?
Savas: "The manufacturing base of the automotive aftermarket has grown and continues to grow. The specialty parts are more sophisticated than ever and what needs to happen is that parts manufacturers need to find new areas of distribution. Clearly they need help, and we are here to provide it with Styling & Performance."
S&P: Tell us about your business-to-business expertise.
Savas: "When it comes to business-to-business communication, Advanstar Communications, with the Automotive Aftermarket Group, leads the way. The AAG includes the oldest, the largest and the best publications serving the automotive aftermarket: Auto Body Repair News (ABRN), Aftermarket Business, Hot Auto Products, Motor Age, Motor Age Training and now Styling & Performance."S&P: What benefits can the Internet Connection provide?
Savas: "Research indicates that once manufacturers sell to distributors they don't know (or don't care) what happens. We want to change that. If manufacturers want to track their products through the distribution chain, they can do it with Styling & Performance and the Internet Connection.
S&P: What about high-performance specialty parts?"
Savas: "A major fact we learned in this year's Aftermarket Business 'State of the Industry' report is that traditional aftermarket replacement sales continue to be huge, but the traditional aftermarket needs to realize that high performance is big business, too. It has arrived–79 percent of traditional jobbers report they are selling specialty parts.
"This presents a big opportunity for the high-performance equipment manufacturers, the WDs and the jobbers–there are 150,000 shops and garages in the United States and the State of the Industry study indicates that many Do-It-For-Me [DIFM] customers are bringing previously purchased specialty parts to the garages for installation. The opportunity here is for garages to make more money. Not only can they install the high margin part, they can sell it, too."
S&P: How do you expect traditional aftermarket jobbers to know about the high-performance aftermarket?Savas: "I think part of our mission will be to educate jobbers and others to order high-performance specialty parts. As I mentioned, 79 percent of jobbers report in the State of the Industry Study that they already sell specialty parts. When asked a follow-up question, the 21 percent of jobbers that said they did not deal with specialty parts listed the reason as a 'lack of expertise' with specialty parts. The traditional aftermarket replacement industry is used to specific make, model and year replacement parts. Many high-performance parts cover multiple applications over multiple years.
"We will take the mystery out of specialty parts. By helping create model-specific applications, in addition to the multiple applications that already exist, we can help the manufacturers deliver higher margin parts that will, in turn, create higher margin labor and do it with a reduced chance of returns."
S&P: You mentioned the OE/new-car dealers. What are you going to do for them?Savas: "There is also an opportunity for growth with the OE/new-car/new-truck dealerships. They are the wave of the future for growth. Dealers are no longer just in the real estate business and focused on moving cars. They want to keep their customers coming back. They want them to come in for routine service and they want them to come back when they buy their next car or truck. They have learned that it is expensive to develop and attract new customers.
"One of the things Styling & Performance will do is drive parts sales into dealerships. It's a goal we share with the Specialty Equipment Market Association [SEMA]. There are lots of dollars available in the dealer parts and service business.This year take a look around the shows. Where are the OE manufacturers? They are exhibiting at SEMA, not the other shows."
S&P: Tell us more about the Internet component of Styling & Performance.
Savas: "As I said before, our mission is to connect manufacturers with new markets. Through a strategic alliance with DCi and CatalogRack.com we will be able to do that. And, through the Internet Connection, we will be able to demonstrate that growth in real time. The first thing that will happen is that the manufacturer's data, if it's not already there, will be placed in the DCi database. Currently CatalogRack.com has 3,600 business locations across the country. Styling & Performance is co-branding Websites with them and our plan is to help them raise that number to 20,000 locations. And advertisers will be able to monitor how many parts are sold."
S&P: We have heard about the growth and increased use of search engines. Will Styling & Performance have a search engine feature?
Savas: "Yes, we will offer the Website www.Search –Autoparts.com. This is a parts look-up site that is co-branded with DCi and CatalogRack.com. We will be 're-skinning' or 'framing' the existing website –the Internet mavens will know what that means. Eligible advertisers will have their parts listed there as well to help increase sales.
"Also, selected advertisers get a turnkey 800 telephone number to capture lead information. That 800 number is yours for life, even if you don't renew your advertising. As long as you advertise, we pay for the 800 number. But, if you choose not to renew, you keep the 800 number."
S&P: Will Styling & Performance create and cover the build-up of project vehicles?
Savas: "Yes. We also plan to build excitement into the industry and tie it all together with Project Parts Chaser. It has been 15 years since a project vehicle has been given away in a sweepstakes in a business-to-business publication, but we are going to do that. There is a description in this special bonus issue of Styling & Performance of just how the Project Parts Chaser promotion will work, but the topline description is that Styling & Performance will be building a truck during the remainder of 2007 and it will be given away to a lucky WD, jobber or shop. The way you enter is to first register and then use the www.Search-Autoparts.com Website to look up parts. Every time a registered user looks up a part, they are entered in the sweepstakes. Using the Website www.Search-Autoparts.com will not be difficult. Eventually all six of our AAG websites will funnel all web visitors into one place: Search-Autoparts.com."We know that most people in the automotive aftermarket business are enthusiasts and we plan to offer them excitement. I want readers to be as excited to read Styling & Performance as they are to read Car & Driver or Hot Rod."
S&P: You mentioned helping the aftermarket grow. How will you do that?
Savas: "With the Internet Connection, Search-Autoparts.com, Styling & Performance will be the only business-to-business parts channel resource that enables business to access information on all product and distributor categories and actually order parts to sell."