Toyota Communication Recall

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:



It seems to me a better model would be to bypass the PR Specialists in the communication flow:



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.