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Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek. -Mario Andretti

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CHAPTER 1I n t roduct ion

ContentsAIM Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . 06History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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AIM Tuning

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From basic maintenance for your street car to all out prep for your race car, AIM has the factory-trained knowledge, tools and experience

to accomplish any Miata project

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Brief History

AIM Tuning first opened its garage doors in September of 1999 on the corner of 30th and Georgetown road

in an old gas station. The business took off and three months later they moved to their current location on

Gasoline Alley. The owner Shane Benson sees the business as vehicle to help him achieve his goals and

the goals of his Miata customers. Miata’s are described, as very personal cars, much different from the

normal commuter car, with a ton of personality; just like their owners.

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Part of AIM Tuning ‘s success

can be attributed to small

the amount of competition

nearby and the niche market

that they have cornered with

their focus only on one car.

Their specializing has helped

drive traffic to them that would

otherwise be relegated to a

non-specialized business.

However, their specializing

has also limited the amount of

work they are able to do, but

staying true to this particular

one model has proven to

be vital in the success of

his business, with a very

consistent flow of work. While

the business is currently at a

consistently successful point,

its future is uncertain. When

I asked where he wanted the

business to be in five years he

expressed that unfortunately

the business will probably be

closed. The physical demands

of the job have provoked

him to brainstorm new

avenues for the future such

as focusing more on parts

and information. Ideally the

business could continue under

new ownership, but currently

it’s the vast automotive

knowledge and experience

that Shane has acquired that

has lead to AIM Tuning’s

success.

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Brand Essence

Attributes//

Benefits//

Values//

Personality//

Essence//

Performance, and maintenance for the street or track

vast of experience and knowledege on particular car model

quality work at a fair price, 1 year warranty on all work

Loyal, friendly, trustworthy, honest

AIM Tuning

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4D Branding

Functional

Mental

Social

Spiritual

Specialized service: maintenance and performance on Mazda Miata for street and track

The right thing: customer knows that he wants the best in performance and reliability for car

Popularize: create a Miata trend by showing others the possibility of performance and reliability that can be achieved

Friendly: small size creates a personal inviting feel for costumers

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Brand Prism

Relationship

Physique

Personality

Culture

Self-Image

Reflection

trusting, friendly, personable, big city shop with a small town feel

maintenance and performance on the Mazda Miata

trustworthy friend that will help you with anything automotive

small shop offering large benefits

do what is best for you and the vehicle in the long run go to the pros

top notch Mazda Miata work for the fairest price

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Time

Authenticity

Time Movement

Technology

Tired

Tired

Retro

High-Tech

Futuristic

Futuristic Present

Compared to other automotive shops

Avant-Garde

Handmade

Dimensions

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Which category includes your age?18-20 – 35%21-29 – 62%30-39 – 1%

How confident of a driver are you?Fair - 7%Moderately - 28%Very - 66

If money was not an issue what kind of modifications would you perform to your vehicle?Motor Performance - 49%Suspension and Handling - 15%Paint and Visual - 26%Stereo and Interior - 10%

Would you ever consider taking your vehicle to a specialized shop that does maintenance as well performance modifications to your specific type of vehicle, or feel more comfortable with a dealership? Why?

I would feel more comfortable with the dealership.

I go where I receive the best price and warranty on parts. I will not go to a shop without checking out some kind of review or having a reference by someone I know

It depends. Dealerships usually cover things with warranty, but specialized shops tend to have better options

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Survey

A research survey was conducted to bring insight into how others interact with their vehicles. The data was used to get an understanding on the importance of vehicle performance and modifications and how they felt about taking their vehicle to a specialty shop to have the work done as opposed to a factory dealer.

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CHAPTER 2Current S i tuat ion

ContentsSWOT Analysis . . . . . . . . . . 20System Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Personas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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Strengths//specialized with few competitors//All changes can be immediate//All customers work with the owner/operator

//Customers very few//Small/easily overlooked//Owner has limited company’s life//Company centered around single car

//All works needs to be quality or lose few return customers//All customers work with owner/operator//Company is one person dependent

//Acquire new lifelong customers//Talk to others to maintain company focus//National not just regional

Opportunities

Weaknesses

Threats

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After conducting research on the AIM Tuning as well as its main

competitors a SWOT Analysis was used to view where the company

excels and where it falls short.

SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture.

Strengths// does well at connecting and

establishing a relationship with its customers

Weaknesses// Specializing hinders business

growth and customer base

Opportunites// Increase national awareness high-

lighting business strengths

Threats// Business success solely relies on one

person working on one type of car

SWOT Analysis

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//many return customers in racing industry

// one of the top Miata performance shop/manufacure

// Miata performance retailers

// Located in the heart of Indiana Automotive Performance

// Operates mostly through word of mouth

A IM Tun ingA IM Tun ing

Bus iness

Serv ice Locat ion

Compet i to rs

Shane Benson

Mechan ic

F inance

Des igner

Owner

On l i ne

Loca l

Torque Cars

R Speed

Racing Beat

2K Racing

Go M ia ta

JC Speed

Mazda Dea le rs

S IC Cus toms

TRU Motospor ts

Bu i l d i ng

Garage

Of f i ce

Gaso l i ne A l l ey

Mazda M ia ta

Track St ree t

Adver t i sement

Webs i te B logFacebook

Est . 1994

Per fo rmance

Nat iona l

F ly i n ’ M ia ta

Ma in tenance

Home Serv ice/Ma in tenance Contac t Us

//work focus is passion rather than business

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Since the company that

I have chosen is very

specialized and only works

on Mazda Miata’s I found it

very difficult to locate other

competitors, both locally

Systems map is a visual reference

to view where a company sits in

relation to many different aspects

from competitors, location, adver-

tising, services, to the business.

and nationally, so there were

only a few places around

the Indianapolis area that

would be considered to

be competitors. Nationally

however, there was one shop

that was located that does

the same kind of specialized

Mazda Miata performance

work at a larger scale. The

local shops were found

to offer more of a broad

customer appeal working

on performance as well as

cosmetics on various makes

and models. Tru Motorsports

is one such shop. Not only do

they offer mechanical work but

also they offer a wide range of

products in their showroom for

purchase.

AIM Tuning is very

skilled at working on a certain

car but their specialized focus

also limits their customer base

and an increase in customer

awareness of the shop and

its offerings will increase its

Systems Map

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//Male//Young (23)//Single//High Performance//Turbo/Supercharger//Daily Driver//Works at BestBuy//Automotive Tech School//Street Racing

Wi l l iamYoung Gun

Personas are fictional characters created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic, attitude and/or behavior set that might use a site, brand or product in a similar way

The three personas on the right

represent the companies current

audience. While it allows for a wider

range of customers it is obvious that

after talking to the owner that the

personas that he enjoys work the

most as well as the type of work they

seek that the racer and young gun

personas are who he would like to

more directly target.

Personas

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//Male/Female//Older (30-50)//Bachelor/Married//No/Few Children//Maintenance/Problems//Small Performance//Miata Club Enthusiast//High School Teacher//Sunday Cruising

//Male//Young (25-40)//Single//Extreme High Performance//Entrepeneuer//Daily Driver//Successful Business//Thrill Seeker//Many Hobbies

Bi l l ShaneEnthus iast Racer

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CHAPTER 1Future

ContentsCriteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34So What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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“In five years the business will probably be closed unless I can find a buyer for it.”

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//Increase company value without increasing work

//Increase wages without decreasing customers

//Evaluate brand of company that is going to be closed or under new ownership in 5 years

Criteria

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Criteria

01

AAIIMM

uthentic

nnovative

iatas

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nnovative

iatas

Strengthen Brandimproving the company identity from logo to web will raise its selling retail value

identify target audience and raise national awareness Audience

Proposal

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Proposal

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Brand

Website

Logo

Color Scheme

Opposite Left//Moordboard that expresses the feeling that the company should give off

improving the company identity from logo to web will raise its future selling retail value

establish a color set that will be used on for all branding aspects

increase web and media presence to establish national awareness

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William (Young Gun) Shane (Racer)

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Audience

Target Audience

National Awarenessraise national awareness to produce more desired customer base and work while increase profitability

Opposite Left//Two personas that AIM should use as their target audience

marketing directly to target audience will produce more consistant

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So WhatSo what?

So what?

So what?

So what?

Profits can be increased by targeting specific audience and focusing on knowledge and experience

branding is outdated

customer base is few and narrow

people are unaware of its benefits and it being one the only Miata specialty shops in the United States

company is not profiting off the specialty work performed daily