The Auto Care Association unveiled plans to create an education campaign on telematics and the connected car for consumers, policymakers, and the industry during a board of directors meeting in Bonita Springs, Fla.
“Our association has identified telematics as its number one priority, and the leadership has authorized the resources necessary for us to step up to the plate and create a strategic communications and advocacy campaign playbook,” said Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association. “We have every intention of sharing the research findings, strategies and tactics with other stakeholders in the industry and encourage these partners to help raise the awareness and understanding of the realities of vehicle telematics pertaining to diagnostic data access.”
The association has hired Powell Tate public relations agency to take on the strategic planning process to create the “playbook” to raise awareness of the implications of access to vehicle diagnostic data to vehicle owners and the auto care industry, the association said. Consumer, industry and policymaker research, as well as creative development, messaging, audience targeting strategies, advocacy strategy and measurement will all be included in the research.
“We must ensure that vehicle owners have the right to direct their vehicle’s diagnostic data to independent repair shops. And we must ensure that the independent aftermarket has the same access to the data as the car companies. If the consumer owns their vehicle, they own the data too, and they should decide where the data is transmitted,” said Hanvey.
