After listening to National Public Radio’s article
Can Toyota Recover Its Reputation For Quality?, I wondered about their “Public Relations Strategy.” It delivered neither the appropriate content nor the appropriate tone, especially at Toyota’s first public address of their global recall:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtSWC6lRqssFEGqYfWSWeA6XvbPscJlmVpTneqk-Hl5KCDn3SbtFvjFXLE7Zx9-aF-nlgCcn7J3nKMbp0ol77cFpiruK8e0GdRD38IpuaLSI6_uBYCIFPTyoOdONznZtkTrHbC0_RX96r/s400/Chart-1_Entry-196_DF-Blog_Toyota-Recall_021710.gif)
It seems to me a better model would be to bypass the PR Specialists in the communication flow:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iDZIyi5TPadrYBMb0wlSh4F8L-0m3kkvqsvmSyLTrT4SFG9epYTnZIsk8XWWooLwsZDCxYogfYkql87yx-qqzHEPPxf3QION2aP2yaxwGavGms3m_dlS6RfVR8mefBjy7_vO5Xz2Qalr/s400/Chart-2_Entry-196_DF-Blog_Toyota-Recall_021810.gif)
The result is a leaner communication model, where the CEO speaks directly to Customers—and directness is always a virtue when it comes to apologies.