DP & HPOF at Punta Gorda

[Tom Deering]

<BR>Now that the first Meet of the year at Punta Gorda, Fl. is history, how successful were the changes reducing HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) age limit to 35 years and the launching of the new Driver Participation Class? Did these changes that became effective this year have the desired results I.E. increased participation?<P> Feedback from those who attended the show would be most welcome.<P> Tom<BR>

[Guest]

Tom ~ I'm not sure if this meet was a good test for either class. Not in the derogetory sense of the word, but in my humble opinion, the Winter meet in Florida is a world unto its own. However, the HPOF had 9 vehicles registered and the new DPC had 19. To me, that represents a good turn out. Unfortunately, and I was really sorry to see this, Class 36 had only one. So much hard work had gone into getting the Factory High Performance class on the field, it is disappointing to see so few cars.<BR>The Peace River Region in Punta Gorda put on<BR>a great meet and the weather was picture-postcard perfect. Congratulations to all those who worked so hard for the enjoyment of us who were there.<BR>Patt

[Tom Deering]

Thanks Patt. <BR> That does sound like a pretty respectable turn out in the new Driver Class. When you consider 20 spectators were converted to participants, that a good move.<BR> Unfortunately that disappointing showing in the Factory High Performance Class might be attributed to demographics. Owners of that group of cars tend to be younger and still have job obligations, younger families, etc. Perhaps the Summer Nationals will have better representation in Class 36.<BR> Tom

[Dynaflash8]

My greatest kick at the Punta Gorda show was to see a 1939 Chysler on display. I haven't seen one of those at a National Meet in years, if ever.

[Guest]

Janet:<P>Last night, after seeing the AACA advertisement in OLD CARS directed towards the high performance folks, I started thinking. The most direct route would be for all of us to put the word out at local shows.<P>Here is a case example: At the Reinholds (PA) Lions Club show last year, a friend who owns a '68 Olds Cutlass came up and saw I was parked with the AACA Seniors now. He congratulated me, however, was quick to say he would rather compete for trophies. (That's his choice, of course.)<P>Here is a thought: If I had a copy of the advertisement promoting the Class 36, and, the new DP Class to hand to him, I think we would definitely have one more participant. Better yet, a copy of the announcement of the launching of the new classes from Antique Automobile.<P>In a nut shell: Regions could make copies of these informative media, and, give a few copies to all members to simply hand out at local shows.<P>I am going to try it this summer and see what it generates for us. I currently carry about 12-15 membership applications with me, and, also stamped envelopes to hand out at local shows to make it very easy for someone to join.<P>Regards, Peter J.

[Tom Deering]

Janet and Peter J, you are both on the right track. We AACA members have to publicize our existence. I think advertising in the "hobby popular press" i.e. Old Cars Weekly, Hemmings, etc. is good exposure, it can also strain a modest advertising budget. I just looked at two popular "on line" Calendar of Events and saw no mention of any AACA event for March, April,or May. These listings are FREE. Also; Hemmings dot com will offer free hosting of your club's web page and/or listing in their on line directory. How much better does it get than FREE? We have an opportunity this year with the new Division Chairpersons to help our existing Regions publicize their existence and in certain geographic cases the very existence of AACA and who we are, eager to welcome all authentic cars over 25 years old. A large segment of the car hobby perceives us as a "niche club" like HCCA or CCCA. These are great organizations and the hobby needs them, but that is not who AACA is. One last "low buck" idea; Have we ever explored the possibility of a reciprocal advertising agreement with Marque Club Publications. This could be mutually beneficial. <BR> I almost forgot to include the sites referenced above: <A HREF="http://www.driveonline.com" TARGET=_blank>www.driveonline.com</A> & <A HREF="http://www.hemmings.com" TARGET=_blank>www.hemmings.com</A> <BR> Tom<BR> <P>

[Guest]

Tom: There you go!! If we all meld our thoughts, there are a lot of free, or, easy ways to promote.<P>After my last post, I thought again about the '68 Olds Cutlass scenario. In his class, there were 13 High Performance Cars. If they are like the Olds guy and want trophies, we already satisfied their wants with the Participation Award program.<P>Most local shows are participated by "drivers". I have had some say to me that they are actually afraid of the AACA Judging, thinking their car will be torn apart, thus, hurting the ego. After looking at the 2 cars where this was discussed, I saw a solid 2nd Junior and a probable 1st Junior. We must "crack" this gray area.<P>Regards, Peter J.<P>

[Janet Ricketts]

Tom and Peter J,<P>Great input - this is what we are looking for. I feel the ads we have out there do not tell the general public just who we are - I think in any ad it is important to do that.<P>You are right Peter, we need to educate our members and ask for their help in getting the word out at local events. I like the idea of AACA preparing fliers for members to distribute, don't see any reason why we can't do that.<P>Tom, the calendar of events online is a good suggestion, we will have to look into that. You are absolutely right, the new division chairpersons are another avenue for spreading the word.<P>What do you think of advertising in publications like Mustang Magazine, Muscle Car, etc.?<P>I feel we have set in motion two good concepts to help us reach more people. We can now make those members who do not want their cars judged feel welcome by the Drivers Participation Class and with the factory high performance classes, hopefully, people will feel we care by separating these cars out of regular production cars.<P>J. Ricketts<BR>

[Janet Ricketts]

Don't be too critical of the factory high performance classes just yet. We knew when we added them that it would take awhile to catch on. <P>AACA needs to get the word out to our members and others about the new classes. We have just started an advertising campaign, but we are still feeling our way around as to where our money will be best spent.<P>If you have any ideas how to effectively advertise these new classes, please let us know.<P>J. Ricketts

[Tom Deering]

Janet, I sympathize with you in trying to select the best advertising venue within a budget. I recall those as being the more frustrating and agonizing decisions facing a small business manager. There is so much misinformation on the subject, that the advertiser doesn't know what to believe. The only meaningful measurement of advertising effectiveness is the number of responses received per each dollar spent. And that is a very elusive metric. (this is starting to sound like a lecture to a class of MBA's)<BR> The merits of advertising in glossy newstand magazines can be debated till the cows come home, but it is my unscientific gut feeling that it is not the best place for your ad dollars.<BR>Large circulation figures only tell a small part of the story.<BR> A large part of our target audience already belong to the BCA,POCI,VCCA,CTCI,etc.; so advertising in those Marque club magazines covers the broader spectrum of folks we want to reach; not just class 36. I only looked at advertising rates for one of these clubs and found it costs $84.00 for a 1/4 page ad with a circulation of 7000-8000 to it's members. This incidentally would not be my first choice because of its limited scope.<BR> <BR> The subject of leaflets is an interesting one. Seems like a good idea to have a "Master Design" generated by our P.R. Group for nationwide distribution. I really liked the Membership Information multi-page leaflet with the application in the centerfold that was printed last year. That is an impressive Class Act. Although I'm sure the production cost of that publication would make it prohibitive for generous distribution.<P> I still have more "low buck" ideas to share, but it can wait till the next time. Tom

[Guest]

Janet & Tom:<P>More thoughts on the leaflet:<P>1. Members or Regions could make copies easily should they run short.<P>2. Back to the '68 Olds Cutlass guy I spoke with: If I could have just walked down the row of 13 High Performance cars & briefly tell these folks how they would be recognized with the Participation Award program, and, still be able to compete for local show trophies, I feel it would be successful.<P>3. Again, I am going to do a test case at the first show I attend & see what happens.<P>I made copies of the DP announcement in the AACA Magazine to hand out along with the membership applications.<P>Regards, Peter J.

[Janet Ricketts]

Tom and Peter J,<P>I like the idea of spending advertising dollars in other Marque Club publications, like you said, we are reaching hobbyists already club oriented and the dollars to reach them will be a lot easier on our budget. <P>I also like the idea of preparing materials that can be reproduced by members and passed out at local events. Outside of the members who sign up at Hershey because they want to participate as a vendor or sell a vehicle, the majority of us in AACA were probably invited into the club.<P>Developing materials for members to reproduce certainly would be inexpensive. If members are willing to pass out information at local events this could lead into attracting younger members since they seem to frequent all types of car events. <P>Under the new membership chairmen program our new president has rolled out this year, AACA will be participating at local car events and flea markets - represented by this new committee with a booth, banners, and information. This also will be an avenue to informed the pubic of all the advantages of belonging to AACA.<P>This website itself has done so much to increase the awareness of AACA and it will continue to offer more and more down the road. I am about ready to put some new software in the mail to Peter G., which will enhance what we are now doing on the web and increase benefits to our membership.<P>J. Ricketts

[Janet Ricketts]

Peter J.<P>Let me know how your test comes out.<P>J. Ricketts

[Guest]

Janet, Tom, and fellow members:<P>I will report on the progress. Here in PA, the first "local" shows will start in late April.<P>I do not see how any of the "I'm not worthy to show at an AACA event" people, or, the "I still want to compete for local trophy" people could have any arguments.<P>To hand out literature and, of most importance, to discuss in person with these folks, that they can have the best of 2 worlds.<P>The way it is set up now with the Class 36 and DP, these potentially new members have absolutely no excuses as they stand to benefit 100%.<P>I will give feed back.<P>Regards, Peter J.

[rodlars]

Just a little input on promoting class 36<P>The list of eligible cars seems to be a little restrictive, at least in the Mopar grouping. I do not have the list in front of me but if I recall correctly, it includes Charger Daytonas, Plymouth Superbirds, Hemi and 6 Barrel/Pack cars, 300 Letter series Chryslers and Super Stock 426/413 cars. This is a very elite group in the Mopar set and fails to recognize bread-and-butter muscle cars such as the 383 powered Road Runners and Super Bees. As the owner of a 70 Dart Swinger 340, I first became aware of this class while checking-in at the Fall Meet in Charlotte this July. A Swinger 340 is considered a muscle car in just about every other situation but I was told that Class 27 would be the more appropriate choice for my car since it was not part of "the list". Not wanting to rock the boat, I also showed my car in Class 27 at Hershey this year. Needless to say, Class 27 was very well represented with legitimate muscle cars, though they were not one of the elite or limited production crowd. Just a little food for thought re: low participation numbers.<P>With regards to promoting the class. I am a somewhat regular reader of Musclecar Review magazine and I think many muscle car enthusiasts would agree that this is "the magazine" for our niche of the hobby. Every issue, they have a news/events section at the beginning and I'm sure a press release from the AACA regarding the new classifications would warrant some column space. This amounts to free publicity. What would really be neat would be to have somesone such as a Musclecar Review or a major parts/accessory supplier be brought on board to sponsor a National Award for Class 36. The Pure Stock muscle car drag race series (backed in part by MCR magazine) has become a significant success and I feel that the AACA has a great opportunity to become the place to show one's restored muscle car for national recognition. No other such venue currently exists.<P>Just my .02 cents (Can) worth, your thoughts?<P>Rod Larson<BR>

[Guest]

Okay, it's my turn to log in. Rod, you're absolutely right. The muscle car class is quite anemic when it comes to the Mopars. In the heyday of muscles, Mopar considered anything in their "Scat Pack" as a muscle car. AACA needs to adopt this. This goes from the hypo 273's in some of the Darts and Barracuda's to the 426 Hemi's in whatever. However, there were vehicles earlier that could qualify as well.<P>As far as advertising our group, I mentioned this to Doug before. Why don't we contact the "My Classic Car" show and have them come to one of our shows. We could get national exposure immediately. The Father Ron, wannabe host( we could have a handlebar moustache contest) just loves doing these shows. They did a segment recently with Paul's Chrome, and Fred Hespenheide(the owner) said it increased exposure dramatically. Plus, these shows are rerun at various times of the day as well as various times of the year. Our judging system could be explained and the array of vehicles shown would really create interest. It would be a real shot in the arm for the club. There is probably other shows we could get on as well. Do we need to look into this????<BR>What do you think, Janet?<BR>

[Dynaflash8]

Rod & Al, you are correct, it is somewhat imperative to get the words on Class 36 out to the most-read publication of those interested in muscle cars. And, the list should be reviewed by "died-in-the-wool" muscle car enthusiasts. I could not choose the appropriated vehicles, nor should I try. That should be somebody who is really into those cars.<BR> As for the Driver Participation Class. I feel this will bring out many cars by people who may have in the past been "timid" about AACA judging standards. Many of these people, once on the field and walking around, will realize their car is, in fact, of a quality to win a 1st or 2nd Junior as one of the previous poeple who posted mentioned.<BR> My final word is that we need to get out an advertisement that shows AACA has something for everyone and that this is the club that ties all corners of the authentic collector car hobby together in one place.<BR> I always said a person needs to belong to the one main club to experience all of the enjoyment of our hobby and one or more marque clubs to experience the in-depth experience of their specific interest. The best of both worlds.<BR> Tom, Janet, heinzman and friends, you are developing and molding an idea here. That is wonderful. My Mom always told me that two or more ideas melded together are better than one.<P><BR> <BR>

[Guest]

Dynaflash8, it's good to see you got your original handle back! You make a very good point about the driver participation class. Many people are timid with showing a car at a national meet. At the very least, we may end up with some additional judges and more exposure with the masses.

[Janet Ricketts]

Dear Rod and Al,<P>You are right Rod, right now the cars in the new classes are restrictive. We knew we wanted to recognize these vehicles with a lot of them eligible for judging now and hopefully, attract younger members. You have to walk before you can run. Other vehicles can be added to the current list as long as they fit the original intent of ?factory high performance vehicles.? Perhaps we should have broaden the eligibility from the start, but this is an idea that has been kicked around for years and we felt that it was better to do something than sit back and just keep talking about it. <P>A press release in Muscle Car Review would be wonderful ? we will have to pass that onto our VP Public Relations and see what we can do. Offering a national award sponsored by Muscle Car Review is another interesting idea.<P>Al, it has been suggested several times over the years that we should get on the My Classic Car Show ? you are right, the exposure would be fantastic for AACA. I wonder how receptive he would be now that he has started his own car club; he might view us as competition.<P>I can see we may have a problem with trying to register vehicles for class 35 in that the car owner may not be familiar with the new class and would hence register in class 27. The registration chairman would not be able to tell if the car belongs in class 27 or 35 based sometimes on wrong or limited information given. I am sure these cars are policed before the start of the show and hopefully, by deputies and team captains.<P><BR>J. Ricketts<BR>

[Tom Deering]

Peter J<BR> On 3-13 your post said that you saw an AACA ad in Old Cars Weekly the previous evening. I assumed you were looking at the issue with the cover date of 3-15. Yesterday I received my copy dated 3-15 and didn't see any ad. What am I missing?<BR> Tom

[Ron Green]

I saw the ad in Old Cars's and it seemed very well thought out. I am not sure of the date but it was the most recent issue. If this ad were to run in other various major magazines and club magazines (POCI, BCA, etc.) it should help get the word out not only about the new class but also the AACA.

[Guest]

Tom: Now you got me. I saw it in Old Cars, however, after reading each issue, I toss them. I just received the Issue dated March 22, and, do not see the ad.<P>Regards, Peter J.

[Guest]

Ron,<P>I have seen the ads in Old Cars Weekly and if I were not a member of AACA, I would not have known what they were talking about. <P>Who is AACA? What does it mean check out the new high performance class of Antique Automobile Club? <P>The ads don't say who we are, what do we have to offer our members, and what the new class means.<P>Someone needs to professionally come up with some good attention grabbing ads. They also get totally lost on the page - the layout leaves a lot to be desired.<P>I will say some of the themes in the ads were good.<P>Old Timer

[Ron Green]

Most car people know who the AACA is but the ad could have went into more detail. Running advertisments in car magazines cost a fair amount of money, but it is money well spent. I think the ad only ran one time?<P>On another note the POCI has a 5x7 post card that has information on the club with pictures of various cars that is a nice hand out to promote new members at local shows, etc. These post cards cost .20 cents each and may be a avenue for the AACA to get the word out.

[Guest]

I think I have seen an ad for the high performance class in Old Cars Weekly at least 3 times. <P>The point of the ads goes beyond reaching AACA members, AACA needs to reach potential new members too.<P>Old Timer