TOYOTA: A LOSING P.R. STRATEGY
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Ithaca Public Relations
| Ithaca Public Relations 159 Snyder Hill Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607-280-3840 info@ithacapr.com |
You can win in the courtroom, but the court of public opinion is another
case.
Think Tylenol.
Think O.J. Simpson.
O.J. was found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife and her boyfriend, but
who do you know that thinks he’s innocent? The verdict doesn’t matter.
People think he killed them.
Tylenol was tampered with, and people died. But, Tylenol still enjoys a
very positive and favorable public image and perception. Why? Actions
and a long-term, sustained marketing and advertising strategy.
TOYOTA AT A CROSSROADS
Toyota has enjoyed a solid reputation for half a century. Toyota produced
quality, durable vehicles that outlasted and outperformed what Detroit
was producing.
Toyota is taking the right steps to minimize a negative situation involving
the accelerators on some of its vehicles, but it needs to follow the Tylenol
P.R. example and do it soon.
Toyota’s president has personally apologized and stated that his
company is committed to fixing the problem. The company and many of its
dealers are working overtime to repair the affected cars. Its officials did
not balk at appearing before a congressional committee looking into the
matter.
So far, so good. The right actions and the right words to start minimizing
a very negative public relations situation. Actions can often speak louder
than words in a crisis communications matter.
But, there are now questions about when Toyota first identified the
problem, and what it did or didn’t do. There are also images of a woman
crying as she testified before congress about how a stuck accelerator on
a Toyota led to a fatal car crash involving her family. These questions
and the images have the potential to create a very long-lasting toxic
situation.
BACK TO TYLENOL
When the Tylenol tampering scare occurred in 1982, the company issued
a total and complete product recall. At considerable financial loss, it
pulled every single bottle off the shelves. It also immediately launched a
massive p.r. campaign using news coverage and advertising, to alert
people to the situation and carefully point out it was taking action to
correct it. Once the new tamper-proof/resistant containers were ready to
go, Tylenol went back on the shelves, and a massive, new p.r. strategy
kicked into high gear.
That p.r. strategy continues today. 30 years later. The Insider saw a
Tylenol commercial on TV the other day, where an actress portraying a
Tylenol production supervisor was saying “if people weren’t going to
follow the instructions, she’d prefer they didn’t take Tylenol at all“.
Think about that. The commercial didn’t talk about how Tylenol is best at
relieving pain (why we take it). It talked about using it according to the
directions or please don‘t use it. This kind of long-term sustained
marketing and advertising strategy is why Tylenol can still be found in
millions of household medicine cabinets across America, even though it
was once tampered with, and people died.
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR TOYOTA
Toyota needs to take a page from the Tylenol playbook. Toyota needs to
kick off a major marketing and advertising print, radio, TV, and web
strategy covering several basic points:
That it has a long history of quality
That it understands it’s lost some of the public’s trust
That it understands rebuilding that trust will take time
What it’s doing to remedy the situation, and make people’s cars safe
again
Who or where people can call if they’re concerned about their Toyota
Toyota has already started doing this, but it’s not nearly enough and
Toyota needs to seriously ramp up the effort very soon. The Insider
simply isn't seeing or hearing enough about this, and other people are
saying the same thing when the subject comes up. That's an indication
that there isn't enough public awareness about the actions Toyota is
taking. The public's perception is the public's reality, and the perception is
running against Toyota right now.
SOCIAL MEDIA: TOYOTA'S X-FACTOR
Toyota could also pull off a social media coup, if the car maker uses it
properly.
Most organizations make the mistake of using social media as a one-way
communication tool. Social media is about two-way conversations. It’s
about engaging aned listening to your customers, not selling to them.
There are some people that will use social media to simply post vicious,
unsubstantiated claims and attacks. That's human nature and The Insider
will discuss a strategy it uses that's been very effective at minimizing
these types of attacks in an upcoming issue. However, Toyota can still
use social media to engage disaffected customers, address their
concerns, and follow up with action. This would be a serious
demonstration of a commitment to customer service, addressing
legitimate concerns, and the power of social media when used correctly.
Most organizations in this type of situation make a big mistake. They post
videos from top corporate officials on Youtube, thinking they’re engaging
disaffected customers and a wary public. It doesn’t work for them, and it
won’t work for Toyota. It won‘t work for you, should you find yourself in
the middle of a product recall… even on a smaller scale. Toyota will have
to seriously engage in the two-way conversation.
Related articles:
The Tiger Woods Affair
The John Edwards Media Disaster
BP Oil Exec's Textbook P.R. Crisis Interview
case.
Think Tylenol.
Think O.J. Simpson.
O.J. was found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife and her boyfriend, but
who do you know that thinks he’s innocent? The verdict doesn’t matter.
People think he killed them.
Tylenol was tampered with, and people died. But, Tylenol still enjoys a
very positive and favorable public image and perception. Why? Actions
and a long-term, sustained marketing and advertising strategy.
TOYOTA AT A CROSSROADS
Toyota has enjoyed a solid reputation for half a century. Toyota produced
quality, durable vehicles that outlasted and outperformed what Detroit
was producing.
Toyota is taking the right steps to minimize a negative situation involving
the accelerators on some of its vehicles, but it needs to follow the Tylenol
P.R. example and do it soon.
Toyota’s president has personally apologized and stated that his
company is committed to fixing the problem. The company and many of its
dealers are working overtime to repair the affected cars. Its officials did
not balk at appearing before a congressional committee looking into the
matter.
So far, so good. The right actions and the right words to start minimizing
a very negative public relations situation. Actions can often speak louder
than words in a crisis communications matter.
But, there are now questions about when Toyota first identified the
problem, and what it did or didn’t do. There are also images of a woman
crying as she testified before congress about how a stuck accelerator on
a Toyota led to a fatal car crash involving her family. These questions
and the images have the potential to create a very long-lasting toxic
situation.
BACK TO TYLENOL
When the Tylenol tampering scare occurred in 1982, the company issued
a total and complete product recall. At considerable financial loss, it
pulled every single bottle off the shelves. It also immediately launched a
massive p.r. campaign using news coverage and advertising, to alert
people to the situation and carefully point out it was taking action to
correct it. Once the new tamper-proof/resistant containers were ready to
go, Tylenol went back on the shelves, and a massive, new p.r. strategy
kicked into high gear.
That p.r. strategy continues today. 30 years later. The Insider saw a
Tylenol commercial on TV the other day, where an actress portraying a
Tylenol production supervisor was saying “if people weren’t going to
follow the instructions, she’d prefer they didn’t take Tylenol at all“.
Think about that. The commercial didn’t talk about how Tylenol is best at
relieving pain (why we take it). It talked about using it according to the
directions or please don‘t use it. This kind of long-term sustained
marketing and advertising strategy is why Tylenol can still be found in
millions of household medicine cabinets across America, even though it
was once tampered with, and people died.
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR TOYOTA
Toyota needs to take a page from the Tylenol playbook. Toyota needs to
kick off a major marketing and advertising print, radio, TV, and web
strategy covering several basic points:
That it has a long history of quality
That it understands it’s lost some of the public’s trust
That it understands rebuilding that trust will take time
What it’s doing to remedy the situation, and make people’s cars safe
again
Who or where people can call if they’re concerned about their Toyota
Toyota has already started doing this, but it’s not nearly enough and
Toyota needs to seriously ramp up the effort very soon. The Insider
simply isn't seeing or hearing enough about this, and other people are
saying the same thing when the subject comes up. That's an indication
that there isn't enough public awareness about the actions Toyota is
taking. The public's perception is the public's reality, and the perception is
running against Toyota right now.
SOCIAL MEDIA: TOYOTA'S X-FACTOR
Toyota could also pull off a social media coup, if the car maker uses it
properly.
Most organizations make the mistake of using social media as a one-way
communication tool. Social media is about two-way conversations. It’s
about engaging aned listening to your customers, not selling to them.
There are some people that will use social media to simply post vicious,
unsubstantiated claims and attacks. That's human nature and The Insider
will discuss a strategy it uses that's been very effective at minimizing
these types of attacks in an upcoming issue. However, Toyota can still
use social media to engage disaffected customers, address their
concerns, and follow up with action. This would be a serious
demonstration of a commitment to customer service, addressing
legitimate concerns, and the power of social media when used correctly.
Most organizations in this type of situation make a big mistake. They post
videos from top corporate officials on Youtube, thinking they’re engaging
disaffected customers and a wary public. It doesn’t work for them, and it
won’t work for Toyota. It won‘t work for you, should you find yourself in
the middle of a product recall… even on a smaller scale. Toyota will have
to seriously engage in the two-way conversation.
Related articles:
The Tiger Woods Affair
The John Edwards Media Disaster
BP Oil Exec's Textbook P.R. Crisis Interview
:Learn More About Crisis Control
Snail Mail Marketing That Works
The Key to Getting Press Coverage
Calling All Experts part two
Calling All Experts part three
Postcards as a Marketing Tool
Advertisers Know This... You
Should, Too
Shattering P.R. Myths
Roadblocks to Press Coverage
The Tiger Woods Affair
Return to The Insider
Calling All Experts part one
Press Releases 101
Press Kits That Get Attention
The John Edwards Media Disaster
Build Your Brand on Facebook
Learn More About the I.P.R.
Proactive Approach... About Us
Find Out More About Our Services
Managing Your Reputation...
Crisis Control
Return to The Insider
Snail Mail Marketing That Works
The Key to Getting Press Coverage
Calling All Experts part two
Calling All Experts part three
Postcards as a Marketing Tool
Advertisers Know This... You
Should, Too
Shattering P.R. Myths
Roadblocks to Press Coverage
The Tiger Woods Affair
Return to The Insider
Calling All Experts part one
Press Releases 101
Press Kits That Get Attention
The John Edwards Media Disaster
Build Your Brand on Facebook
Learn More About the I.P.R.
Proactive Approach... About Us
Find Out More About Our Services
Managing Your Reputation...
Crisis Control
Return to The Insider
| The Insider - Toyota: The Next Tylenol or O.J.? |
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