AskPatty.com, Inc., reaches her first anniversary with above target
revenue and an established brand presence leveraged by Web 2.0 best
practices and venue in Second Life.
The AskPatty.com, Inc. brand and Female Friendly Certified concept has
been enthusiastically embraced and supported by women and her
automotive industry peers. Ask Patty, the Automotive Advice for Women blog,
launched on May 21, 2006, with its introductory post written by
President Jody DeVere. Before that day one year ago, AskPatty.com, Inc.
was just an idea; the attempt to make car buying easier and more
pleasurable for women all over the country.
As the blog and
business grew, the main hurtle was to get in front of women as well as
provide enough resources to make it worthwhile for those women to visit
AskPatty.com. AskPatty.com,
Inc.’s innovative launch on a Web 2.0 social media platform as a blog,
Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women, garnered their first press
mention as a featured blog on SixApart Typepad. Leveraging social media within the blogosphere achieved a quick and strong brand presence.
The
idea behind AskPatty.com, Inc. is to be a safe place for women to go to
get automotive advice and ask questions about anything and everything
automotive related. In order to field the types of questions consumer
women had relating to cars and trucks, DeVere created the Ask Patty
Advisory Panel of Automotive Expert Women, which is chaired by Deborah
Renshaw, top ranked professional female NASCAR driver. The panel was
launched in order to make AskPatty.com, Inc. a truly unique forum for
women. There weren't—and still isn't—any other auto web site out there
that promises a live answer from other expert women in the industry.
Plus, Patty promises an answer within about 24 hours, making it a truly
valuable resource for women.
Answering questions and writing
automotive articles is one thing, but what about when it comes to
buying that car or truck? Now you are armed with information and you
are the most educated gal on the block in car shopping, financing,
insurance, and car maintenance, and it ends there.
Not for long. AskPatty.com, Inc. launched their Female Friendly Dealer
certification program on September 1st, 2006, just over three months
after the initial start of AskPatty.com, Inc., by placing a certified
dealer search tool on their site. The concept was to provide dealers
with training on how to properly sell cars and trucks to women, and
then upon completion of the training and testing, AskPatty.com, Inc.
would certify the dealership as “Female Friendly.” The next important
step was to provide marketing expertise and tools for the dealership so
that they could properly promote the new and valuable certification.
The AskPatty.com, Inc. Program has two major components: the training
element and the marketing tools.
The
Female Friendly dealer certification program was co-designed and is
administrated by training partner MaddoxSmye, LLC, a premier diversity
training company, headed up by Rebecca Maddox and Marti Smye. Merrill
Lynch, State Farm, Mitsubishi, Nissan and General Motors highlight
their list of Fortune 100 clients. The AskPatty.com, Inc. training is a
comprehensive, 12-month program that provides the tools for dealerships
to attract, sell, retain, and increase loyalty with women consumers.
The AskPatty.com, Inc. marketing program was developed to provide the
tools necessary to effectively communicate with female consumers. The
program includes a private-labeled AskPatty.com, Inc. web site that
integrates with the dealerships’ traditional web site. This co-branded
page provides an opportunity for the dealership to announce that they
are certified and then provide information and advice to the consumer.
Presently over 75% of shoppers turn to the internet prior to visiting a
dealership and this AskPatty.com, Inc. portal provides the dealership a
forum to provide information to the female shopper in a
non-threatening, low-pressure fashion.
The
program also includes email, phone and fax tools that improve the
communication between the consumer and the dealership. This function
also provides a method for AskPatty.com, Inc. corporate to survey the
consumers to ensure the integrity of the certification. The program
provides guidance for the dealer on how to effectively advertise and
communicate with the female consumer, a demographic of critical
importance.
The AskPatty.com, Inc. program has been embraced by
dealerships nationwide including some of the largest dealer groups in
the country. Some of their premier dealers include Penske Toyota,
Ricart Ford, Crown Automotive, and Asbury Automotive Group.
AskPatty.com, Inc. received its first large industry nod with an
article in Automotive News. Shortly after, on October 29, 2006,
AskPatty.com, Inc. was featured on the front page of the Business
section in the New York Times in an article titled "What Do Women Want?
Just Ask" and thereafter was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Feature articles in the Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, and Detroit Free
Press followed. While attending the 2006 SEMA show in November, Jody
DeVere was a guest on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" with
Marti Barletta of TrendSight. DeVere has also appeared on Motor Trend
Radio, and the Jean Chatzky show on XM's Oprah and Friends Radio
Network.
In January of
2007, DeVere appeared on Fox11 Morning News in Los Angeles on "Ask the
Expert" with Jean Martirez. AskPatty.com, Inc. Founder and CEO Peter
Martin has also appeared in a local Fox segment in Florida, where the
company is based. Since the beginning of this year, AskPatty.com, Inc.
has been featured in not only many large newspapers nationally, but on
CBS, NBC, and Fox in major markets across the U.S. and her content
articles are syndicated widely in the blogoshere and traditional media
outlets. Most recently, DeVere appeared on iVillage Live in Orlando on
May 15, 2007. AskPatty.com, Inc. continues to be the darling of the
press and media, driving a 30 - 40% growth rate in new visitor traffic
each month.
While the
press was ringing the phone lines and filling up the email in-boxes,
AskPatty.com, Inc. was busy making their site even better for women. In
February, the company launched their car configurator, powered by
Chrome Systems. This feature allows women to comprehensively research
cars and request quotes from Female Friendly dealers, as well as do
side-by-side vehicle comparisons.
In
March of this year, AskPatty.com, Inc. launched an Online Garage,
powered by MyCarPage, a service to help make the automotive ownership
experience more enjoyable. MyCarPage is a place where women can "park"
their vehicle online and receive automatic service reminders, recall
notices, local traffic reports and gas prices, as well as local dealer
coupons and a tool that allows the user to schedule service
appointments with their local Female Friendly dealership.
April
of 2007 was a big month for AskPatty.com, Inc. with the launch of the
dealer-facing monthly eNewsletter, the Ask Patty Advisor, which is the
automotive industry’s first eNewsletter designed to provide dealers
with advice and tips on how to better serve women. AskPatty.com, Inc.
assembled an award winning group of experts who now provide advice to
dealers and help them better serve the women’s market. Before the month
closed, the company announced a $50,000 Automotive Shopping Spree for
women. Women can sign up for the contest through the AskPatty.com, Inc.
site and participating dealers.
In May of 2007, AskPatty.com,
Inc. partnered with AutoTrader.com to provide visitors with access to
AutoTrader.com's tools and features, which include a direct link to the
company's industry-leading used and certified, pre-owned vehicle
listings. In addition to AutoTrader.com's placement on AskPatty.com,
select AskPatty.com articles and stories will also be featured in
AutoTrader.com's "Research and Compare" area. The articles will
provide in-market, women car shoppers the opportunity to gain further
insight and tips on the car-buying process from the AskPatty.com
experts.
AskPatty has developed a truly unique company,
building a business that caters to both the consumer and retailer
simultaneously. Through the AskPatty.com, Inc. web site and the panel
of expert women, they provide expert information and advice to women,
as well as a network of Female Friendly certified dealers. The
AskPatty.com, Inc. dealership certification and training program
provides the automotive retailer with the tools and training necessary
to provide better service to women.
The
founders, President Jody DeVere and CEO Peter Martin, both have
extensive backgrounds in advertising and marketing and the retail
automotive industry.
Jody DeVere comes to AskPatty.com, Inc.
with more than twenty-five years of achievement as a successful
entrepreneur focused on sales and marketing leadership including ten
years developing web based business solutions across diverse
industries. DeVere is currently the President of the Woman's Automotive
Association International , the premier women's organization for women
automotive professionals, a member of the Car Care Council Women's
Board , a member of the California State Advisory Board for SkillsUSA,
Chairperson of the United Spinal Motor Sports Committee, and a member
of the SEMA Businesswomen's Networking Association .
DeVere's
background includes leadership positions as National Director of Sales
for the Automotive Division of CallSource, National Director of Sales
and Marketing for HemaCare, Director of Sales and Marketing for
RiverOne, Inc., a subsidiary of I2, founder and Vice President of Sales
and Marketing for Memory Network a division of MediaGrif Interactive,
Inc. and National Director of OEM Sales and Marketing for Packard Bell,
CalABCO division.
Peter Martin is the founder and CEO of AskPatty.com, Inc. Peter started
his automotive career in 1987 with the Ricart Ford organization and was
part of the team that took the dealership to the Number 1 Retail Dealer
status with the Ford Motor Company. His extensive background in the
automotive industry provides him with a keen insight into advertising
and marketing and is a regular speaker and trainer for the NADA and
other automotive organizations.
Peter
Martin has been engaged in a wide array of diverse advertising and
marketing ventures, ranging from introducing eMail Matching to the auto
industry, pioneering the development of the first Video eMail
Technology, to development of multi channel marketing which
incorporates Direct Mail, Direct eMail and telephony services to
increase campaign response rates.
Prior to launching
AskPatty.com, Inc., Peter held the position of Business Development
Director of DME, one of the largest Direct Marketing Firms in the
country. Peter had also held the position of Director of the ZLEADS
division of Zimmerman Advertising, where he developed the special
finance lead generation program. Peter has also owned and operated his
own advertising and marketing firms, as well as having performed in top
level positions in some of the nation's top automotive advertising
agencies.
The AskPatty.com, Inc. staff shares a passion for
the automotive industry and carry with them extensive experience in
email marketing, business development, public relations, and customer
service. AskPatty.com, Inc. staff members come to the company from
positions within Eastman Kodak Company, Motor Trend, and Automobile
Magazine.
AskPatty.com, Inc. is a privately-held company that
is looking to expand. In fact, DeVere and Martin say they are poised
for rapid growth and are seeking additional capital to fund their
expansion into other vertical markets.
