• by Karl Greenberg , June 11, 2009

Auto service retail chain AAMCO is responding to GM and Chrysler's plans to close thousands of dealerships between them in the U.S. with its largest-ever ad campaign, a $30 million push that is intended to get car owners to look on the bright side of holding onto their current vehicles.

The effort keeps the "Double A (beep beep) M-C-O" tag, but introduces a new logo that spotlights AAMCO's expansion into full-service offerings with the legend "Transmissions" on the top and "Total Car Care" underneath.

The campaign, called "Romance of the Road," is also intended to highlight the brand's change from a transmission specialist to full-service and maintenance franchises. The three TV spots, set to The Allman Brothers' classic "Jessica," posit one's car as an old friend.

One ad shows footage of people enjoying and taking care of their vehicles while a voiceover says: "At some point, a car ceases to be just a car and becomes an old friend." In another spot, a family drives the minivan around with a voiceover saying the vehicle is like a member of the family. All of the ads show real AAMCO technicians.

AAMCO commissioned a national survey by Clarus Research Group that, per the company, showed that 63% of car owners are putting off not only purchasing a new car but also making repairs and maintenance to save money.

Mike Ganjei, president of the National AAMCO Dealers Association, said in a release, "AAMCO's advertising campaign reassures consumers that in an uncertain time, given recent dealership closings and other economic news, AAMCO is that trusted neighborhood technician drivers can depend on."

In addition to the TV spots, the effort -- via Washington, D.C.-based Qorvis Communications -- includes radio, online and print advertisements and imagery and in-store executions. A new Web site and mobile application will follow later this summer as part of a social media campaign to engage drivers on and off the road.

The campaign, which has begun in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., will roll out in AAMCO markets in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada over the next three months.

The Philadelphia-based AAMCO has 900 dealers across the country.