In a recent presentation I gave to a state-wide meeting of the Texas Public Relations Association, I discussed how Toyota’s face-to-face, personal contact strategy with customers is working to help the brand overcome its recent (and widely publicized) recall. How? The company is making corrective actions and turning a crisis to a positive – both objectives of good crisis management.
Specific tactics that appear to be working are minimal dealer discussions with the media, which helps keep Toyota’s message consistent. Also, Toyota isn’t using answering machines or referrals – personal one-on-one contact is what they are employing.
Another factor that is working in Toyota’s favor – customers want to be assured their car purchases were justified. After all, nobody wants to feel like they wasted money or got a bad deal. The dealers are giving their customers a reason to be loyal.
Even the academic community is acknowledging that the Toyota recall isn’t as bad as it may have seemed. A recent consumer study at Rice University shows that loyalty to Toyota remains high. Despite millions of recalls, owners of Toyotas still believe in the brand, and would buy it again. The Houston Chronicle discusses the study in an
article by David Kaplan. Toyota owners agreed that Toyota has a strong reputation for quality and that Toyota handled the brake pedal recall appropriately. On a 0-to-10 scale, owners rated Toyota an 8, while owners of 26 other brands averaged a rating of 4 on whether or not they would buy that brand again. Pretty impressive numbers, right? The study concluded that consistent and high customer satisfaction levels in the past “insulate the brand, even if it falters.”
So what does this mean for your brand? No matter how bad the crisis may be, intensive positive corrective action and communication can save or restore your brand. Just ask Firestone, Tylenol or Mattel.