AGSC Works to Protect Logo Integrity
A logo is a key part of a company’s business identity. It is associated with the products and services the business offers. If it coincides with positive consumer experiences, the logo can become a trusted symbol. It can even stick in a consumer’s memory, guiding them back to that brand when they need its services again. Some logos, such as McDonald’s golden arches or the Nike swoosh, become cultural symbols.
Backing up a logo with a promise of quality enhances its meaning even more. Take Good Housekeeping as an example. It is a home, health and beauty lifestyle brand. Its magazine has been published since 1885. The magazine birthed what is now the Good Housekeeping Institute in 1900. The institute established The Good Housekeeping Seal in 1909. Products advertised in the magazine that bear the seal are tested by institute experts and backed by a limited two-year warranty. The magazine itself provides a refund if a product bearing the seal proves faulty before the warranty expires. Wikipedia estimates that about 5,000 products have been given the seal.
As the brand increased in popularity, the seal became such a part of our culture that at one time some parents joked a respected suitor for their child had the “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.” The seal became instantly recognized as a sign of quality and a stamp of approval.
AGSC’s Stamp of Approval
Similarly, the Auto Glass Safety Council’s (AGSC) Registered Member Logo is also a sign of quality.
AGSC is a trademark name and logo that may be used only by those companies that have complied with its registration procedures, have been approved for AGSC membership by its Board of Directors and are currently AGSC Registered Member companies in good standing.
Becoming an AGSC Registered Member allows companies to show their customers that they meet the ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS Standard and are committed to safety and quality at the highest level.
It also allows auto glass companies to:
Advertise that their installers follow industry best practices for safe installations;
Indicate that all technicians meet the pertinent Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards;
Prove to consumers that the company cares about safety;
Demonstrate to insurers that they follow best industry practices;
Display the AGSC Registered Member Logo;
Have the company and all of its locations included on the safewindshields.org website;
Participate in validation programs and improve technicians’ performance through adherence to AGSC’s standards.
Maintaining the Logo’s Meaning
With all the weight it carries, the AGSC Registered Member logo is the “seal of approval” in the auto glass industry. So, the AGSC takes the use of its logo seriously, as should all its members who have earned the right to proudly display it.
Occasionally, the AGSC learns that a company is falsely displaying the logo on its website or advertising. Often it is unintentional—the company did not realize it hadn’t kept up with membership dues, there was a miscommunication or there was confusion because of a merger or acquisition. Other times, a bad actor purposefully tries to harness the weight the AGSC Registered Member logo carries without being a Registered Member.
When the AGSC learns that a non-member is wrongfully displaying its logo to the public, it sends out a letter requesting an application for membership or for the company to cease displaying the logo. If the company does not act in a reasonable period, AGSC will send out a series of escalating “cease and desist” letters seeking removal of its logo from any of the company’s materials. If the logo is not removed, legal action may be taken.
Misuse of the logo is an infringement on the AGSC and all its safety-conscious Registered Members who abide by the AGRSS Standard, use only AGSC Certified Technicians, and submit to a periodic audit. Eventually, if repeated attempts to rectify the situation fail to produce the desired response, the AGSC will turn the matter over to its general counsel for legal action. This last resort is costly to all parties, but it is necessary to preserve the protection and integrity of the logo and to maintain consumer confidence in the logo.
Auto glass customers should be confident in the quality and safety of the work on their windshield when using a company that proudly displays the AGSC Registered Member logo—the seal of approval and symbol of quality in the auto glass services industry.
Seth Maiman is the director of public affairs for the Auto Glass Safety Council.
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