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December 7th 2007 - Metaversed held our second session of Virtual Business Innovators featuring Jody Devere (known as Patty Streeter in Second Life), President of AskPatty.com. A photo gallery of the event was provided by JenzZa Misfit, and you can screen the entire event by following the links above. Below I've summarized just a few of the main points, but it's worth hearing the event for yourself to cover the wealth of knowledge that Patty Streeter was able to share.
Statistics
Women purchase 62% of all new vehicles and influence 85% of all automotive purchasing decisions. Dealers are often surprised by this. Many of them are under the impression that men are the main car buyers.
That mistake in judgment could seriously impact how a dealer handles sales and hires staff. The percent of women working in dealerships is less than 20%, and overall the automotive industry is very male dominated.
Despite this, 73% of service customers and 80% of customer satisfaction surveys are completed by women. The disparity between the service providers and their customers is pretty big, and AskPatty.com exists to bridge that gap.
Business Model
AskPatty.com has a panel of over 50 women in professional automotive fields acting as advisers. They are everything from executives to auto detailing experts, and visitors to the Second Life build can actually send emails to these experts and ask advice.
The community at large, however, isn't paying anything to AskPatty.com. The company generates revenue by training and certifying automotive dealers in how to cater to women. They cover how to properly advertise, attract new customers, sell effectively, and retain long-term loyalty. They've also created a network of dealer websites that co-brand with the AskPatty logo.
They've enjoyed great success. Since September of 2006 they have signed up well over 200 dealers to the 12 month training course, and the course is soon to be taught in schools. Training has expanded to Northwood University, the premiere school for automotive study programs. Those seeking a degree in Automotive Marketing as well as after-market automotive studies will be required to take their module.
We were treated to a sample clip during the presentation that illustrated a bad customer experience, and how it might be improved, using machinima recorded in Second Life. The clip itself was created by hired Second Life residents, and was recorded at pre-existing locations. Using machinima, rather than real-world studios, has been a huge cost saver in the creation of training materials.
Community Building
Patty Streeter meets with her 15 employees (scattered across the US) in Second Life because "it's like being on a conference call on steroids." People feel like they're in the room together and make real connections via avatar.
Of course meetings aren't the only reason for the Second Life presence. They are able to reach women who are power internet users and influencers this way quite easily, as well as access the more creative community. This drives traffic to website, and also to the certified female-friendly retailers.
Many of the company's charitable events for United Spinal have been held in the virtual world as well. A typical example is coming up on December 15th: "Cruise 'N Chase" will feature user designs of cars on display and auto racing, with the proceeds going to United Spinal. It's also a great way to showcase the company's new island.
Industry Catching Up To The Market... Almost
Things are changing in the auto industry. Women working in the industry are enjoying recognition for their efforts, but that's not all. There's a recognition that catering to what women want out of a car matters, and designs are changing accordingly.
Partially this has boosted the development of new hybrid "green" cars, as surveys show women to be more ecologically minded. The internal design of cars is changing too. You now have places to put your purse and other storage spaces for the family. The design of the floor near the pedals has been altered to accommodate high heels so that you don't have to turn your foot. Even the materials used on the upholstery are seeing improvements in this area.
It's not all moving ahead the way it should, however. While individual dealerships are getting better with advertising, auto manufacturers themselves leave a lot to be desired. Most marketing of cars is irrelevant and some even insulting to women. As Patty Streeter put it: "Most of the advertising is aimed at the guys, and they need to clean up their act."
Next Week
December 13th we'll host Gary Wisniewski, CEO of SLCN.tv. "Video Network Of The Future", this is a rare opportunity to speak to the man behind the camera. What place does push media have in an age of interactivity? Do people really watch video filmed in virtual worlds? What is the business model behind SLCN anyhow? Answers to these questions and many more next week. Don't miss it!