Aftermarket eForum 2008: What Are Your Products Doing Online?
A session on how aftermarket companies can protect their intellectual property from piracy in cyberspace will be one of the featured presentations at the 2008 Aftermarket eForum. Attorneys Tony Lupo and Sarah Bruno of Arent Fox will look at “What Are Your Products Doing Online? Protecting Your IP and Managing Your Brand in an Online World” during a general session on Tuesday, July 15.
Herman Trend Alert: Second Life Revisited
From “Herman Trend Alert,” by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists GREENVILLE, SC — Last year, the virtual world Second Life (SL) (secondlife.com) received quite a bit of media coverage when several Fortune 500 companies staged events or built virtual presences there. Not so long ago, we covered the use of SL for market
From Counterman.com: Where Have All the Product Reps Gone?
This week, read Counterman columnist Gary Goms’ perspective on the loss of product reps in today’s world. "Like the last of the dinosaurs, a few product reps are occasionally spotted in the steamy, warm climates of trade shows," Goms said. "But rarely are they spotted in an auto repair shop advising the installer how to use a product or how to sell its benefits to the paying customer."
ALLDATA’s Cracking Down on Software Piracy
ALLDATA wants repair shop owners to be aware that copying and/or distributing copyrighted software illegally isn’t the only way one can be guilty of piracy. Even being in possession of software that has been illegally copied is piracy. To protect their customers and product integrity, ALLDATA is aggressively pursuing civil and criminal action against all software pirates.
New Class of Workers Spans the Globe
When Shishir Madhugiri arrives at his Dallas office in the mornings, most of his colleagues are already finishing up a long day’s work. That’s because they’re halfway around the world in Noida, India. Madhugiri, a project manager at Dallas, TX-based Cyber Group Inc., has a job most people never dreamed of a decade ago.
Autolite Taps into Popularity of Blogs
Blogs, short for weblogs, are everywhere today. Whatever your interest, there is a blog about it somewhere in cyberspace. Now, the Autolite brand of Honeywell Consumer Products Group is using the popularity of blogging to reach out to a niche market of consumers. Playing off the success of its recent "Man Tips" radio campaign, Autolite has launched http://www.mantipsgarage.com , which offers advice (solicited and otherwise) on all things related to hot-rod living, including auto and motorcycle subjects, sports, beer, dating, marriage, but mostly cars.
Former Metaldyne Employees Indicted for Theft of Trade Secrets; Shared Info With Chinese Competitor
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed yesterday in Detroit reveals that a former vice president and two former senior employees of Metaldyne were charged with plotting to steal and stealing Metaldyne’s secret process for manufacturing heavy automotive parts from powdered metal, and providing this information to a Chinese competitor. Charged in the 64-count indictment were Anne Lockwood, 53, formerly a vice president of sales at Metaldyne; her husband, Michael Haehnel, 51, formerly a senior engineer at Metaldyne, both of Rockwood, MI; and Fuping Liu, 42, a former metallurgist for Metaldyne, of Westland, MI. Liu worked out of Metaldyne’s Shanghai office until April 2004.
SmarTire President and CEO Resigns; New Exec Appointed
SmarTire Systems announced today that Leif Pedersen, a senior sales and marketing executive with extensive global experience in electronic systems, has been appointed the new president and CEO of SmarTire, effective immediately. Pedersen replaces Al Kozak, who has left the company to pursue other interests.
New Sponsorship, Promotional Opportunities at AAPEX 2004
New sponsorship and promotional opportunities have been created for the 2004 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), which is scheduled to take place Nov. 2-5 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas. Show organizers have developed a number of pre-packaged advertising options designed specifically to draw more traffic to exhibitors’ booths and reinforce branding at the 2004 show. New sponsorship opportunities at the 2004 event include an improved Cyber Center e-mail station in the upper lobby, entranceway banners and “monster” banners. Other options include the “You Are Here” boards, aisle signs, column wraps and much more.
Using The Internet As A Tool To Promote Your Shop
For many people the Internet has become the primary medium for finding information, addresses, products and services — including auto repair. If your business does not yet have its own Web site, you’re missing a great opportunity to tell people who you are and what you can do for them.