Car Care Month Seeks Greener Pastures

In keeping with the overriding concern Canadians feel regarding the environment, the upcoming Be Car Care Aware campaign will feature a renewed focus on how car owners can lessen the environmental impact of their cars.

“Our goal for Car Care Month is to strongly link our messaging to the environment,” says Marc Brazeau, executive vice-president, Car Care Canada. “Since launching the Be Car Care Aware program in 2004, we have always discussed the positive impact vehicle maintenance has on our environment. However, for Car Care Month 2007 we plan to focus all of our efforts on this area.”

The campaign for May 2007 will include a series of messages that provide consumers with day-to-day, demonstrable ways to lessen the negative impact vehicles have on the environment.

Be Car Care Aware is a consumer education campaign about the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance, and repair. The goal of the Be Car Care Aware campaign is to build awareness and knowledge to prepare consumers to make sensible decisions about their vehicles. Built around three key message areas of safety, the environment, and protecting your vehicle investment, the campaign is spearheaded by Car Care Canada.

To promote the Be Car Care Aware program, spokespersons Kelly Williams and Jean-Franois Veilleux are hitting the road to share knowledge and raise awareness on how Canadians can use pro-active car maintenance as one of the key weapons in the fight against environmental pollution.

Plans for Car Care Month include:

Media Tour

Kelly Williams will conduct media interviews to raise awareness of the Be Car Care Aware program in Winnipeg, May 4; Calgary, May 11; Toronto and area from May 23 to 25; and in Sudbury on May 29. French spokesperson Jean-Franois Veilleux will be conducting interviews in Montreal on May 22 and 23.

Car Check Events

Kelly Williams will be supporting Car Check Events in the following cities: Winnipeg, May 6; Calgary, May 12; and Guelph, May 26. There will also be a Car Check Event in Montreal, May 26.

Advance promotion through media relations and local outlets will aid in raising awareness of these events.

The Car Check Events were started as a pilot program in May 2006 to provide a free service to consumers and to also gauge the condition of vehicles on Canada’s roadways. The failure rate was 78%. The goal of this spring’s events is to reduce the failure rate.

Shop Receptions

AIA members are encouraged to come out, meet the spokespeople, and learn more about the Be Car Care Aware program by attending local Shop Receptions. They will be held in the early evenings on the following dates: Winnipeg, May 3; Calgary, May 10; and Guelph, May 24.

“People are concerned about the environment and are looking for ways to minimize the damage,” says Kelly Williams, spokesperson for the Be Car Care Aware campaign. “This May we will provide Canadians with specific ways to support a greener Canada through simple vehicle maintenance strategies and demonstrate that these efforts are going to make a true difference.”

“We encourage our industry to focus on the environment and communicate that having a healthy vehicle is a significant way for Canadian drivers to save our environment,” says Brazeau. “To assist in sharing this message we’ve developed a comprehensive package for store owners to conduct their own Car Check Events.

“We encourage jobbers and shops to incorporate positive environmental messages into their communications with customers,” Brazeau continues. “As an industry we can be more successful if we are consistent in our efforts.”