What’s New: In Brief (January 08, 2010)

Carstar Automotive Canada Inc. is launching a new brand campaign focusing on driver distraction, which can lead to accidents. The idea to be conveyed is that when accidents happen, Carstar will be there to make them “unhappen.” At the same time, the goal is to have drivers to think twice before taking their eyes off the road. As part of the new initiative, Canadians will be asked to describe an event in their lives that they would choose to make “unhappen,” be it a bad haircut or an embarrassing moment. An online national contest will be launched in March using Facebook and Twitter. Carstar franchises and employees will wear Where Accidents Unhappen t-shirts the first Friday of every month and donate $1 to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF) is planning to discuss issues related to the migration of European insurance and repair trends to Canada. The discussion is to take place at the CCIF’s annual national meeting, held at the Mariott Toronto Airport on Jan. 23, 2010.Also, the meeting will hear results of a Canadian survey on collision repair business metrics and whether profitability is going up or down. Attendees will hear about the National Skills Competition, as well as from keynote speaker Donald Cooper on how to lead and keep the best staff. To register for the event, log on to the CCIF website at:http://www.ccif.net/meeting.asp#special.