Women in Automotive Marketing: Jordan Malone-Forst on Brand, Family Business, and Authentic Culture at Jay Malone Motors
This is the first profile in a multi-part series spotlighting women shaping dealership marketing strategy across the country. Each article features an INT1 Group member sharing what they've built, what they've learned, and where the industry still needs to evolve.
Women in automotive marketing aren't a new phenomenon — but they've rarely been given the platform their work deserves. As part of the INT1 Group, a peer collective of automotive digital marketers, I have a front-row view of some of the sharpest marketing minds in the business. A significant and growing number of them are women.
Jordan Malone-Forst is the Assistant General Manager at Jay Malone Motors — a family dealership where she grew up selling Girl Scout cookies in the showroom before eventually coming back to lead marketing strategy. The Hutchinson, Minnesota community has taken notice: she was named 2025 Young Leader of the Year by the Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, serves as President of the Hutchinson Ambassadors, and sits on the Chamber's Board of Directors. Her father Jay won the same Chamber's 2021 Business Person of the Year — making it a family legacy of community recognition, not just automotive performance.
This profile is the first in a series spotlighting women in automotive marketing who are members of the INT1 Group. The goal isn't to separate them from the broader conversation — it's to amplify voices that bring perspectives the industry genuinely needs.
Jordan Malone-Forst
Asst. General Manager
Jay Malone Motors
Jordan Malone-Forst
Assistant General Manager · Jay Malone Motors
Recognition & Community Leadership
Jordan came to automotive marketing through lived experience, not a job posting. As the daughter of Jay Malone, she spent her childhood inside the dealership before stepping fully into the marketing role when her father called and said he needed help. What she's built since is a case study in how family dealerships can compete on culture when they can't outspend the big groups on reach — and how deep community roots translate directly into marketing authenticity that no agency can manufacture.
Community Recognition & Leadership
Jordan's community footprint in Hutchinson, Minnesota extends well beyond the dealership walls — and it's directly connected to how Jay Malone Motors markets itself. When your marketing lead is also the 2025 Young Leader of the Year from the local Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Hutchinson Ambassadors, and a sitting Board Member of the Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, "community-driven content" isn't just a strategy — it's a reflection of how she actually lives and works.
That community credibility carries weight that no ad budget can replicate. Customers in Hutchinson aren't just buying a vehicle from Jordan's dealership — they're buying from someone who shows up for their town. That's a brand position that takes years to build and is nearly impossible for a competitor to steal.
| Recognition / Role | Organization | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Young Leader of the Year | Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism | 2025 |
| President, Hutchinson Ambassadors | Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce | Current |
| Board of Directors | Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism | Current |
| Voted Hutchinson's Best — Best Place to Buy a Vehicle | Hutchinson Community Vote | Multiple Years |
| Voted Hutchinson's Best — Best Auto Mechanic, Best Tires, Best Auto Body | Hutchinson Community Vote | Multiple Years |
Note: Jay Malone (Jordan's father) also received the 2021 Business Person of the Year from the same Chamber — a generational legacy of community investment that shapes the dealership's marketing DNA.
Growing Up in the Showroom: A Foundation Built on Family
There's a version of "how did you get into automotive marketing" that starts with a job posting. Jordan's doesn't. She grew up inside the dealership — answering phones, taking marketing photos when she was home from school, even selling Girl Scout cookies in the showroom. The industry wasn't something she found; it found her.
When her father called and said he needed help with marketing, she jumped back in. But this time with fresh eyes — and that combination of insider knowledge and outside perspective turned out to be exactly what the store needed.
"The industry has always felt like home. Being able to combine creativity with real, measurable business impact — especially in a family business — makes it even more meaningful." — Jordan Malone-Forst
That grounding matters in automotive marketing. The dealers who produce the most effective content aren't usually the ones who hired an agency to run their brand — they're the ones who actually understand what happens on the floor. Jordan came in with both. That's a competitive advantage that's difficult to manufacture.
What she describes — coming in "completely green" and growing alongside the industry — is actually the ideal arc for a dealership marketer. No legacy biases, genuine curiosity, and a direct connection to the family and culture behind the brand. Those aren't soft advantages. They show up in output.
How Dealership Marketing Has Shifted — From Billboards to Brand Identity
Jordan's timeline in automotive marketing roughly mirrors the industry's own maturation curve. When she first stepped in, Facebook was barely a business tool. Dealership marketing leaned hard on billboards, print, and the monthly "event" promotions that ran on autopilot.
What she describes next is the shift that separates dealers who are winning today from those who are chasing last decade's playbook: the move from advertising a sale to building a brand people trust.
"Customers want to know who you are as a dealership, what your culture is like, and why they should choose to do business with you over someone else." — Jordan Malone-Forst
This isn't a soft observation — it has hard business implications. Shoppers today arrive at the dealership more informed than ever. They've already compared prices, read reviews, and watched video content before they walk in the door. The dealerships that have invested in brand — in showing who they are — have a head start in that moment. The ones still running generic rebate ads are starting cold every time.
Jordan's framing of this is pointed: technology will keep changing, but people still buy from businesses they trust. The best use of new tools isn't to run better ads — it's to build real relationships at scale. That's the opportunity she sees, and it's the right one.
- Trust is the conversion lever — digital reach means nothing if the brand feels anonymous
- Culture is a marketing asset — who you are as a team drives choice in competitive markets
- Authenticity compounds over time — consistent, genuine content builds equity that paid media can't replicate
The Authenticity Playbook: TikTok and Community-Driven Content
The initiative Jordan is most proud of isn't a campaign with a big budget or a complex attribution model. It's a deliberate decision to stop producing polished ads and start showing people who her dealership actually is.
Through short-form video on TikTok and social media, Jay Malone Motors highlights the team's personalities, their humor, and the day-to-day reality inside the store. No scripts, no agency gloss. Just the actual people behind the business.
The result is something that large dealer groups consistently struggle to replicate: customers who walk in already recognizing the staff from videos they've seen online. That's not a vanity metric — that's a warm lead who already has a baseline of trust before any salesperson says a word.
"We're not trying to create overly polished ads — we're simply giving people a genuine look at who we are. In a relationship-driven business like automotive, that authenticity goes a long way." — Jordan Malone-Forst
This is the specific playbook advantage that small-to-midsize family dealerships have right now and should be pressing hard. Big groups have budget, OEM support, and national reach. What they don't have is the genuine, one-location, family-built story that makes community content land the way it does for a store like Jay Malone Motors.
The key tactical insight Jordan identifies: authenticity is the product. Not the vehicle. Not the price. The culture, the people, and the comfort they create — that's what short-form video communicates at a cost that smaller dealers can actually sustain.
The Women-in-Automotive Advantage — And What Still Needs to Change
Jordan frames her perspective on women in automotive with a combination of confidence and candor that's worth paying attention to. She doesn't lead with what's been hard — she leads with what she brings to the table.
Her point about relationship and communication focus resonates with anyone who's watched customer experience scores shift when women step into marketing and customer-facing leadership roles. The instinct to think from the customer's perspective — to ask "how does this experience feel to the person on the other side of the desk?" — is a discipline that dealerships have historically been slow to build.
- Full customer journey thinking — from first online impression through the showroom visit, women in dealership marketing often manage the entire experience funnel more cohesively
- Relationship-first communication — how information is delivered matters as much as what's delivered; this is marketing fundamentals
- Reducing the intimidation gap — creating environments where customers feel comfortable asking questions is a brand differentiator, not just a service improvement
On what still needs to change: Jordan's call to show women that automotive offers career paths beyond the stereotypes is exactly the right message. The industry's talent problem is partly a perception problem. Marketing, finance, operations, and leadership — the roles where dealerships increasingly win or lose — are exactly where diverse perspectives create measurable business value.
The industry is evolving quickly on this front. The more diverse perspectives brought into strategy conversations, the stronger and more customer-focused the output becomes. Jordan's trajectory is a clear example of that in practice.
Advice for Women Entering Automotive Marketing
Jordan's advice to women considering automotive marketing as a career path is unambiguous: don't let outdated stereotypes be the filter.
The "car salesman" image that still shapes how many people perceive the industry has almost nothing to do with what modern dealership marketing looks like. The work is fast-paced, analytically demanding, creatively open, and directly connected to business outcomes in a way that marketing roles in many other industries aren't.
"Every day is different, the technology is constantly evolving, and you're always learning something new. The women willing to step into this industry today will help shape what it becomes tomorrow." — Jordan Malone-Forst
Her final point is the most important one for anyone early in their career, regardless of gender: be willing to challenge the "this is how we've always done it" mindset. Automotive has decades of legacy behavior baked into its processes, and the marketers who push back on that — with data, with new channel strategies, with customer experience evidence — are the ones driving real change at their stores.
The opportunity is real. The ceiling is lower than ever. The industry needs people willing to walk through the door and build something better than what was there before.
FAQ: Women in Automotive Marketing
What is the best marketing approach for a family-owned dealership?
Family-owned dealerships compete best by leaning into what the big groups can't replicate — authentic people and local relationships. Short-form video content that showcases your team's personality, community involvement, and day-to-day culture consistently outperforms polished ad campaigns for smaller market dealers. People buy from people they trust, and trust is built through visibility and consistency, not just ad spend.
How can dealerships use TikTok effectively for automotive marketing?
The most effective automotive TikTok strategy centers on authenticity, not production quality. Show your team's personality, take customers behind the scenes, highlight the culture of your store, and post consistently. Customers who recognize your staff from videos before they ever walk in are already warm leads. Avoid over-polishing content — it undermines the authenticity that makes the platform work.
Are there more women in dealership leadership today than in previous years?
Yes. Women are increasingly holding senior leadership roles across all areas of dealership operations — including marketing, finance, general management, and dealer principal positions. While the industry still has work to do on representation, the number of women in visible leadership roles has grown significantly over the past decade, and organizations like NADA and dealer groups are actively investing in programs to support that growth.
What unique advantages do women bring to automotive marketing?
Women in automotive marketing often bring a strong customer-experience focus, thinking holistically about the entire buyer journey from first digital touchpoint through the in-store visit. This full-funnel perspective — combined with a relationship-driven communication style — translates directly into more cohesive brand strategies and customer experiences that feel less transactional and more trustworthy.
What career advice should women in automotive marketing follow early in their careers?
Don't let outdated stereotypes about the automotive industry shape your perception of the opportunity. Modern dealerships need creative, analytical, and relationship-driven marketers more than ever before. Women are thriving in marketing, finance, general management, and ownership roles. Show up with ideas, challenge legacy thinking, and understand that this industry rewards results — not tenure or tradition.
Point of View: What Jordan Malone-Forst Gets Right That Most Dealers Miss
Running marketing for a family dealership in a smaller market is a specific kind of challenge. You don't have the budget of a mega-group. You don't have a national brand propping up your reach. What you have is a story, a community, and people — and if you use them right, those assets are more durable than any ad spend.
What Jordan has built at Jay Malone Motors is a blueprint that more family dealerships should be following. The core insight — that customers are choosing people, not just inventory — isn't new, but the execution via consistent, unpolished social content is genuinely difficult to get right. Most dealers either over-produce it or abandon it before it compounds. She didn't do either.
The bigger point her perspective reinforces: the dealers who are winning on brand right now aren't doing it because they figured out the algorithm. They're doing it because someone internally made a decision to show up consistently and be real about who they are. That's a strategy choice, not a budget line item. It requires leadership buy-in, patience, and a willingness to look less "professional" than the competition — which is exactly what makes it work.
On the women-in-automotive conversation: the most important thing the industry can do isn't just celebrate the women already in it. It's to make the career paths visible enough that more women consider it in the first place. Profiles like this one are part of that work. The more dealerships see what's possible when diverse leadership shapes marketing strategy, the faster the industry moves toward customer experiences that actually reflect who's doing the buying.
About the Author
Branden Bodendorfer is the Director of Marketing for Wheelers Family Auto Group , a six-rooftop Chevrolet and GMC dealer group in Central Wisconsin. With 20+ years of business and marketing experience, he has been recognized with SBA Entrepreneur of the Year nominations and Small Business of the Year awards, and has been featured on ABC World News, the NBC Today Show, ESPN, CNN, and Disney platforms.
In addition to his automotive marketing work, Branden is the creator of the Key2Success Planner — a digital planning and productivity system used by professionals in 52 countries — and operates a business coaching practice focused on leadership, systems, and scalable growth.
His automotive content, including the Destination EV YouTube channel covering GMC Hummer EV and Sierra EV, has built a substantial following among consumers and industry professionals. Branden also facilitates the INT1 Group, a peer collective of automotive digital marketers sharing strategy, KPIs, and industry insight across dealer groups nationwide.
Branden brings a practitioner's perspective to automotive marketing: everything he writes about, he's actively running for real dealerships in competitive markets. His work sits at the intersection of data-driven strategy, digital retail best practices, and the on-the-ground realities of regional dealer groups.
brandenbodendorfer.com | Wheelers Family Auto Group | Key2Success Planner | INT1 Group