What do CNN, FOXNews, msnbc.com and the Wall Street Journal have in common? They’ve all covered stories on vehicle maintenance, and each one relied on the Car Care Council — the consumer arm of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) — to provide them with information.

This consumer initiative, better known in the aftermarket as the Be Car Care Aware (BCCA) campaign, brought the industry more than 23 television news stories, 300 million syndicated newspaper impressions, 200 million syndicated radio impressions and 140,403 monthly Web page views in a six-month timeframe. In dollars and cents, for 2005, an investment of $500,000 returned $13 million worth of media publicity.

On a daily basis, the Car Care Council is working on press releases and radio public service announcements in an effort to help raise awareness of the automotive aftermarket. Its ultimate goal is to tackle the problem related to undone maintenance and consumer misperception.

Jay Burkhart hopes the Car Care Guide will help independents give consumers a consistent message.

Jay Burkhart, chairman of the board for the BCCA campaign and vice president of global marketing for Federal-Mogul, told Aftermarket Business that the industry needs to ensure it isn’t just talking to each other, but that we collectively have a consumer voice that addresses confusion and distrust. Along with other members of the executive board, Burkhart is a strong believer that a third party like the Car Care Council can bring credibility to the messaging a repair shop or auto parts store offers a motorist when discussing vehicle maintenance.

During his presentation at the Global Symposium, Burkhart emphasized that one of the campaign’s goals is to solidify dialogue when a consumer is looking to spend money at the counter or point of repair.

“The necessary dialogue doesn’t often occur,” he says, and that is one reason the Car Care Council Executive Board undertook a major initiative to create an aftermarket Car Care Guide, which was spearheaded by Federal-Mogul. The 50-plus page brochure, unveiled at the Symposium, features general information on caring for a vehicle, including details on oil, filter and fluid changes, belts and hoses, tune-ups and more. Designed to have a long shelf life, it even includes a breakdown of specific vehicle components with explanations, diagrams and descriptions of typical wear and tear effects.

“This book is geared to give independents something helpful, credible and consistent, and it’s a complement to the OE manual,” says Burkhart, who also makes it clear that the guide in no way is intended to replace the vehicle’s owner’s manual or other marketing material developed by manufacturers or distributors; rather, the book was designed to serve as a third-party source for communicating with motorists, be they do-it-yourselfers or do-it-for-mes. Ultimately, the booklet should help repair shops and parts stores communicate information about basic repairs and maintenance procedures.

If you are interested in purchasing copies of the new Car Care Guide, contact Rich White, senior vice president, Marketing & Member Relations of AAIA, at rich.white@aftermarket.org.

“We will offer the book in large quantities at affordable costs to all the distribution channels so that they can work it into marketing or sales training budgets,” says Burkhart, adding that the industry needs a consistent message to help consumers feel more comfortable, “especially against the backdrop of the perceived notion that going to the OE dealer is the better experience.”

Supply will meet demand, says Burkhart, with his hope being every middle-aged car in America has a guide in its glove box.