The automotive aftermarket rarely stands still. New technologies, shifting customer expectations, and evolving vehicle systems demand constant growth.

Aaron Shaffer, the director of marketing services at Standard Motor Products, has built his career on constant growth. To this day, he continues to move with the advancements in technology and vehicle systems, all while still emphasizing the importance of people.

Shaffer treats changes as a cue to learn, not a threat to endure. He relies on education—from university programs to conferences and training events—and expects the same mindset from his team at SMP.

Whether he's talking about AI-generated images, brand storytelling, or day-to-day customer communication, Shaffer always comes back to the same fundamentals. He believes that listening, following up, and building trust with others are priorities.

"It's not about necessarily using technology as much as it is being good at the things that you were good at before technology took over."

In an industry defined by rapid innovation, Shaffer's approach is simple but rare—use new tools to support people, not replace them, and always emphasize ongoing education.

Saying Yes to Opportunity

That mindset didn't appear overnight. It was forged early in Shaffer's career as he moved through different roles and departments. These moves helped him to see change as an opportunity and to grow from it.

Shaffer started working at KYB Americas Corporation as a territory sales manager just out of college in 2002. From there, he continued to move up in the company.

He became an account executive in 2003, a customer service manager in 2004, a marketing manager in 2005, and a business development manager in 2010.

"It was fun being at KYB because it was almost like working at a startup. While I was there, we ended up tripling the business in about 11 years," Shaffer says. "It was rapid growth."

He left KYB briefly in 2015, but returned as a business development manager in 2016, and became the director of marketing and product in 2018.

"Something that helped me during my time at KYB is that when an opportunity came up, I never said no," Shaffer says. "Even when I went back into sales in 2010—it was largely lateral—I never said no to a challenge, and I moved around several times. I thought that was really helpful. Because of that, I received exposure to so many different customers and so many different departments within the organization."

He left KYB in 2022 and became the associate director of marketing services at SMP.

In 2023, Shaffer was promoted to director of marketing services and continues to work for SMP.

Commitment to Education and Growth

In 2024, Shaffer received the Automotive Aftermarket Management Education Award from Northwood University for his noteworthy contributions to education.

As an alumnus of Northwood University, Shaffer understands the importance of education in the aftermarket and beyond.

"As far as education goes, I think it must be part of a regular process for people," Shaffer says. "It can't just be, 'I'm going to go to this class once a year,' as much as it needs to be a mindset of lifelong learning."

Shaffer applies his continuous education philosophy to himself and often attends many educational conferences.

"I'm fortunate here, living in New York, because there are so many good marketing conferences and events that happen here year-round," Shaffer says. "So, when there's an interesting topic, I can just go."

In addition to receiving the Automotive Aftermarket Management Education Award, Shaffer's team at SMP won the 2026 Innovative Usage of AI category in the Auto Care Association's Marketing and Communications Awards.

"We won it not because I'm a genius or a visionary, but because I encouraged folks from my team to start going to events on generative AI," Shaffer says. "Two years ago, I said, 'This is happening. This is going to be the future. Let's get ahead of this, and let's learn.'"

Winning the ACA award reinforced Shaffer's belief that AI, when approached thoughtfully, can elevate both marketing creativity and team capabilities.

Future Forward with AI

One way Shaffer implements AI at SMP is by using it to assist in the company's workload.

"AI alone is not a strategy," Shaffer says. "It can be a faster way to do high-level research, but where we use it more is to create images that didn't exist."

By using generative AI, Shaffer's team is able to put together product collages with shop backgrounds faster. They can also place people inside a store setting and customize it to look like a particular client's store much faster.

"We're certainly not going to use it to make a whole flyer, but we'll use it to create an image that didn't exist by feeding it three other images that are already within our library," Shaffer says.

As the industry continues to evolve and technology progresses even faster, Shaffer believes that it's important to remain mindful of the smaller things.

That mindset shows up most clearly in how he balances emerging tools with the principles that have guided his career from the beginning.

Back to the Basics

That balance starts with recognizing how technology has reshaped even the simplest human interactions.

"Technology has changed how people interact," Shaffer says. "It has changed how we interact from person to person. It's not prioritized enough."

He has found it's important to lead with communication, something the workforce can sometimes forget about.

"I was fortunate early in my career that I had a couple of really good bosses and mentors," Shaffer says. "One of them put me under a lot of pressure to always make sure any issue—especially with someone on your team—is dealt with quickly and head-on. Because it's easier to deal with smaller issues before they become big issues."

That lesson shaped how Shaffer views communication. He believes basic follow-up, listening skills, being able to ask the right questions, building trust, building relationships, and delivering on what a person says they're going to do are still important in today's workforce. Unfortunately, these basic communication skills are a lot harder to come by.

"In today's world—with so much noise and so much technology—I think being good at the basics and the fundamentals is more important now more than ever," he says.

He advises that becoming better at these skills today can set someone apart from their peers.

Success in People

People skills can be built through small, consistent habits that will build a person's credibility over time.

"I think it comes down to being consistent," Shaffer says. "Show up and don't take days off mentally. I think communication is coming down to being in the moment. When you're with a colleague or customer, really listen. Be present, take notes, and practice."

The key to Shaffer's success doesn't lie in some grand goal he achieved; rather, it lies in how he continues to adapt to the industry with a people-first mindset.

"Being able to ask good questions and have a meaningful conversation is the only way you can really start to uncover what the issues are and where the opportunities are."