MEMBERSHIP LOGIN
JOIN PRI
PWA Is Now The Custom Automotive Network (CAN)
Image
The Performance Warehouse Association (PWA) is undergoing the biggest shift in its 47-year history by rebranding its name and logo. The association’s new nameplate, Custom Automotive Network (CAN), was driven by market forces and the steady expansion of its membership for several years, according to the company.
“The goal initially was not necessarily to change from PWA,” said Tracie Nuñez, PWA president. “We knew we had to be very careful with a legacy of more than four decades. There’s tradition and our core values in serving the automotive distribution channel that remains intact.”
However, Nuñez, the association’s board of directors, and membership had long sensed a change was needed.
“We tried to decide whether the PWA name properly represented the makeup of our membership. There’s been a large shift with many members serving the truck market also—some solely serving the truck market,” she said. “We knew something needed to be done.”
The brand is different but the association will continue to host its annual trade conference—now called the CAN Connect Conference—and maintain the same general purpose.
“Leadership has had this feeling over the last three to five years of wanting to go beyond what members have expected of the association. We really wanted to dial into what we can do to help our members achieve their next business goal,” Nuñez said.
The association developed its new name and logo with help from GMMB Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based firm, specializing in brand strategy and position for nonprofit organizations. Auto Care Association hired GMMB for the same purpose several years ago.
Each word in the CAN name holds significant purpose in what makes the association unique, according to Nuñez.
“The focus on the word custom in Custom Automotive Network represents a broader term that can apply to performance parts, truck parts, or any other market that may come our way,” Nuñez said. “The word Network really speaks to the power of our conference and the association.”
PWA’s signature color blue will continue with the new CAN logo.
“Sticking with the blue made a lot of sense,” Nuñez said. “It was an important piece of our brand identity from our 47-year tradition.”
CAN's tagline, Automotive Awesome, highlights members' passion for their businesses and the consumers who use their products, according to Nunez.
Alongside its fresh branding initiative, CAN also has relaunched its Auto Parts Connection page. Auto Parts Connection links product manufacturers and distributors with shops by offering a dealer locater tool. Shops can sign up for a listing or join CAN to receive a priority listing, as well as to qualify for business discounts. The dealer locator tool is used on many manufacturer websites.
CAN members will soon have access to the CAN online training portal, debuting in March. As content grows, shops will find the CAN learning portal as a necessary training resource for new products and new shop hires.
“It’s really powerful when you start talking about all the manufacturers we have as members,” Nuñez said. “Online learning is a big initiative for 2017."
PWA’s rebranding journey resulted in the development of CAN’s brand story. The brand story essentially serves as a mission statement for the association moving forward.
CAN’s brand story, in full, reads as follows:
“Every car and truck enthusiast should be able to mold their vehicle into an extension of themselves. To push the boundaries of what their vehicle can do. That’s the belief that underpins the entire custom auto parts market. And it’s how our members view their businesses: defining success in their own way, and seeking out any opportunity that helps them make their mark.
“CAN is the responsive professional network dedicated to the resellers and manufacturers that turn cars and trucks into personal quests for perfection. Our annual executive conference is known as the real deal, because that’s what happens there. Our emphasis on future learning helps our whole sector meet new challenges, from eCommerce to a shifting consumer base. And our online dealer locater and job board introduce new customers and employees to members, growing business for the long haul.
“When conditions change, good drivers adapt. Smart businesses do the same. CAN connects the makers and sellers of the next big things in automotive to their next big win. Together, we’ll inspire the next generation of enthusiasts to take their individuality out on the road. Together we make Automotive Awesome.”
“The goal initially was not necessarily to change from PWA,” said Tracie Nuñez, PWA president. “We knew we had to be very careful with a legacy of more than four decades. There’s tradition and our core values in serving the automotive distribution channel that remains intact.”
However, Nuñez, the association’s board of directors, and membership had long sensed a change was needed.
“We tried to decide whether the PWA name properly represented the makeup of our membership. There’s been a large shift with many members serving the truck market also—some solely serving the truck market,” she said. “We knew something needed to be done.”
The brand is different but the association will continue to host its annual trade conference—now called the CAN Connect Conference—and maintain the same general purpose.
“Leadership has had this feeling over the last three to five years of wanting to go beyond what members have expected of the association. We really wanted to dial into what we can do to help our members achieve their next business goal,” Nuñez said.
The association developed its new name and logo with help from GMMB Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based firm, specializing in brand strategy and position for nonprofit organizations. Auto Care Association hired GMMB for the same purpose several years ago.
Each word in the CAN name holds significant purpose in what makes the association unique, according to Nuñez.
“The focus on the word custom in Custom Automotive Network represents a broader term that can apply to performance parts, truck parts, or any other market that may come our way,” Nuñez said. “The word Network really speaks to the power of our conference and the association.”
PWA’s signature color blue will continue with the new CAN logo.
“Sticking with the blue made a lot of sense,” Nuñez said. “It was an important piece of our brand identity from our 47-year tradition.”
CAN's tagline, Automotive Awesome, highlights members' passion for their businesses and the consumers who use their products, according to Nunez.
Alongside its fresh branding initiative, CAN also has relaunched its Auto Parts Connection page. Auto Parts Connection links product manufacturers and distributors with shops by offering a dealer locater tool. Shops can sign up for a listing or join CAN to receive a priority listing, as well as to qualify for business discounts. The dealer locator tool is used on many manufacturer websites.
CAN members will soon have access to the CAN online training portal, debuting in March. As content grows, shops will find the CAN learning portal as a necessary training resource for new products and new shop hires.
“It’s really powerful when you start talking about all the manufacturers we have as members,” Nuñez said. “Online learning is a big initiative for 2017."
PWA’s rebranding journey resulted in the development of CAN’s brand story. The brand story essentially serves as a mission statement for the association moving forward.
CAN’s brand story, in full, reads as follows:
“Every car and truck enthusiast should be able to mold their vehicle into an extension of themselves. To push the boundaries of what their vehicle can do. That’s the belief that underpins the entire custom auto parts market. And it’s how our members view their businesses: defining success in their own way, and seeking out any opportunity that helps them make their mark.
“CAN is the responsive professional network dedicated to the resellers and manufacturers that turn cars and trucks into personal quests for perfection. Our annual executive conference is known as the real deal, because that’s what happens there. Our emphasis on future learning helps our whole sector meet new challenges, from eCommerce to a shifting consumer base. And our online dealer locater and job board introduce new customers and employees to members, growing business for the long haul.
“When conditions change, good drivers adapt. Smart businesses do the same. CAN connects the makers and sellers of the next big things in automotive to their next big win. Together, we’ll inspire the next generation of enthusiasts to take their individuality out on the road. Together we make Automotive Awesome.”
