When did the focus on women consumers really begin in earnest for the automotive industry and why?
Jody Devere: Between 2000 and 2002, two women wrote best-selling books about marketing to women that had tremendous influence on women consumers and even some early adopter brands: Marketing to Women by Marti Barletta and Eveolution: The Eight Truths of Marketing to Women by Faith Popcorn. By the mid 2000s, the blogosphere, and social media and networking sites began to catch hold (Jody recalls attending the first BlogHer Conference with 150 women - this year’s BlogHer Conference is expecting more than 2,500 attendees) and early adopter women, who already had strong opinions and a desire to share them, began to understand that they could seek information in this ultimate arena of sharing and exchanging ideas and, most importantly, be heard.