Aftermarket September 2022

60 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2022 30 YEARS OF AFTERMARKET www.aftermarketonline.net how the magazine got started: "I got made redundant from Morgan Grampian where I had been in charge of Transport Week and Auto Trade. I looked at the situation, and I thought I could put together a team, and start a new title. "We quickly put together an aftermarket-knowledgeable team, and created a new magazine. When it was first launched it was called Garage and Bodyshop Products. Later we changed it to Aftermarket. The magazine was very quickly established in the market with the highest circulation of all the sector publications, over 30,000 copies a month.” Ongoing partnerships with key suppliers were very important: "We had a lot of support from top aftermarket suppliers like Luk/Schaeffler, and on the braking side companies like Ferodo and Mintex. We had a great relationship with NGK which still goes on.” The people behind the masthead were also vital: "We had a very good team that worked well together. We were respected for the knowledge we had of the market we were serving. We were able to act as a sounding board for what people wanted to do, as the market changed we changed with it." Continuity was a key component as well: “It was designed to be the number one information source in the industry. That's what we set out to create and that's what it became. We knew what we were talking about and we carried on talking about it.” There was one fundamental change though, which is still being felt now: "People were beginning to spend more of their marketing budget online which meant that the magazines in the marketplace weren't picking up the revenues they had been, hence Aftermarket Online." Then there was the events side: "We also had the great benefit of having a wide knowledge of the exhibitions business. We were working with the SMMT as sales and marketing consultant for the Automotive Trade Show. It was rather like Automechanika, although without the German spelling." In 2015, the magazine was sold and Bob retired. On what was achieved Bob concluded: "We had a successful formula which was consistent and we were good at what we did. We achieved our ambition, which was to become the number one book in the marketplace." Aftermarket entered a new era in 2015 when it gained new owners. Ryan Fuller, Managing Director at DFA Aftermarket Media said: “Aftermarket is the leading title in the sector. This is a fantastic, dynamic industry, and we work hard to make sure that the magazine reflects the sector it serves. We also look to add to the richness of the industry by sparking debate, and keeping our readers updated on the latest technological trends. “We work with the leading companies in the aftermarket, and the most important technical experts to make sure our readers are getting a great magazine through the door at the start of the month.” Top Technician and Top Garage Alongside Aftermarket there is the Top Technician competition, which in a handy happenstance, is also celebrating a significant milestone in 2022. Ryan observed: “Top Technician is hugely exciting for us. The competition has been enabling mechanics to prove their abilities since 2002, and the winners see their lives changed as a result.” This sparked an idea: “We saw that the events and activities around Top Technician represented a great launchpad to create a new competition for businesses too. “It was this that led us to begin Top Garage in 2018, which enables whole businesses to face the challenge of proving they are the best. This event has grown and gained greater exposure every year. The Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Evening, at which the winners for both competitions is announced, is now a major event in the calendar for the sector.” Looking ahead On plans for the magazine going forward, Ryan added: “With the strong anchor of the Aftermarket print magazine, which is still specifically requested by around two thirds of our readership, we are able to be a full solution provider offering print, web and e-cast options to advertisers. Our clients embrace this universality and it enables them to reach the wide audience that Aftermarket brings.” Ryan concluded: “Aftermarket is a vital information source for every independent garage. This is what we always come back to. As we go forward we will make sure Aftermarket continues to speak to its audience, and keep that audience up to date with the challenges and opportunities ahead.”