The ongoing Toyota saga

Toyota has launched a new advertising campaign in the US in an effort to reassure consumers that their cars are safe. The advertisement features satisfied customers stating that they have no qualms about the safety of their cars. Some, however, have raised questions about not only the content of the advertisments, but also the timing. 

Questions still linger about the safety of the vehicles, and the Washington Times quotes Mike Sheldon, CEO of ad agency Deutsch LA as saying that consumers "haven't had that chance to just get through the problem and they're already trying to sell...stuff? I believe that consumers will feel a little confused, like, 'Aren't you still fixing the problem? Why are you trying to sell me so hard?'" 

It's the question of 'fixing the problem' that is splitting observers in Japan, the US and other countries. In an article in the Washington Post, Frank Ahrens seeks to explain why it's so difficult to pinpoint what the problem with the cars is, and he makes some very good points. But surely it's better for the company to show exactly what they are doing to solve the problem. This, judging by comments made on various sites throughout the coverage of the problems, is what would placate consumers and perhaps win back their trust. An ad campaign perhaps is not the best way to do it. Not yet, anyway. 

Toyota's troubles are far from over, but more transparency from the company about what it is doing to ensure that problems like this never occur again seems to be the one thing that everybody wants.