CAMARILLO, Calif. — AskPatty.com Inc.,which was founded on helping tire dealerships and auto service shops better communicate with female customers, has revamped its logo and website and is expanding its service offerings.
AskPatty is expanding its training, consulting and certifications for the automotive industry, building off its "Certified Female Friendly" program that has been offered for over a decade, the company said, and moving away from a consumer resource and focusing on business-to-business training in leadership, culture and workforce.
The relaunch includes new course offerings, a streamlined and interactive website, new social media and an UpShift Consulting Team.
The new brand image for AskPatty dispenses with its pink and purple colors and its "Patty" mascot.
"Our iconic mascot 'Patty' has been retired," AskPatty CEO Jody DeVere said. "When we launched, we really needed an instantly recognizable face for the company, and Patty was the product of a long design process with many iterations. Today, however, the art style was beginning to look a little dated, and we felt that, rather than try to redesign her, it was better to completely rethink our visual identity."
AskPatty's new logo features five icons that represent its certifications for the automotive industry.
The UpShift program is a suite of training and certifications that expands beyond female-friendly to encompass current topics such as diversity, culture and inclusion.
The program features a series of 12 modules delivered by a panel of experts in their fields. Training is offered live, in an interactive Zoom setting or via pre-recorded video modules.
The new courses cover three topics: leadership, with a focus on management skills; workforce, with a focus on employee attraction, hiring and retention; and culture, which focuses on business culture topics including diversity, equity and inclusion.
The original Certified Female Friendly program is still offered, with a revamped training sequence, the company said.
AskPatty and the UpShift panel also offer customized consultation packages on a variety of topics.
AskPatty.com began in 2006 as a website to help women feel more comfortable when buying or repairing a vehicle and its Certified Female Friendly program trained dealerships, independent service centers, tire dealers and other businesses on best practices to communicate effectively with women customers.
