Toyota is learning a lesson that numerous companies have learned the hard way – when a crisis strikes, and the media comes a knockin’, answer the door or suffer the consequences.
Toyota may be an international powerhouse, however at the same time it is a family-based brand, the family being the Toyoda family. Akio Toyoda is the President, and his father Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, is the Honorary Chairman.
This crisis struck what seems like a lifetime ago in terms of media cycles, and every day, this crisis brings more and more news, none of which is good.
Toyota is doing very little to stem the tide. Toyota’s head of U.S. Operations, Jim Lentz, tried to address the issues on The Today Show, but the reality is no matter what Mr. Lentz said, it would not have solved the problem. Why?
The company is not branded as Lentz Motor Sales — in all fairness to Mr. Lentz, customers, the press and the public want to hear from a member of the Toyoda family. So far, the only comments issued by the family were statements Akio Toyoda made at Davos at the end of last week :
“We’re extremely sorry to have made customers feel uneasy. Right now, we are trying to establish the facts and preparing for giving an explanation so anxiety among customers would be removed as soon as possible.”
Not very convincing or illustrative of any emotion.
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