Toyota Quality Management
Toyota Implements New Marketing Strategies to Restore Consumer
Trust and Overhaul the Company’s Image
Webster University
Abstract
This paper explores the various marketing strategies undertaken by Japanese automaker, Toyota Motor Corporation to restore consumer trust and overhaul the company’s image in response to a 10 million worldwide vehicle recall in 2010. The recalled vehicles were the result of an influx of acceleration-related accidents for which Toyota faced hundreds of lawsuits (Jacobs & Chase, 2013). Naturally, the large number of recalls and lawsuits threatened to tarnish the company’s image. Thus, in an effort to repair Toyota’s persona, the company overhauled its total quality management (TQM) programs implementing several new marketing strategies which included global advertising campaigns, technological developments, quality and safety-related reforms (Kozaki, Oura &Amasaka, 2012). Specifically, one of the first new marketing initiatives included an international computer database with the capability to track all Toyota automobile repairs and decrease the customer complaint reporting times from months to days (Jacobs & Chase, 2013). Moreover, Toyota adjusted the company’s advertising strategy by completely eliminating national advertising campaigns that promoted its cars for dependability, safety, and reliability. The automaker also reorganized its just-in-time (JIT) and Toyota production system (TPS) production processes (Amasaka, 2009). Toyota named a new managing director to revamp and oversee all safety-related concerns. The company also established Swift Market Analysis Response Teams (SMART), rapid response teams responsible for tracking down safety defects and determining the cause of accidents in the United States and internationally (Jacobs & Chase, 2013). It is essential that Toyota utilize strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis going forward to accurately analyze the current state of
Trust and Overhaul the Company’s Image
Webster University
Abstract
This paper explores the various marketing strategies undertaken by Japanese automaker, Toyota Motor Corporation to restore consumer trust and overhaul the company’s image in response to a 10 million worldwide vehicle recall in 2010. The recalled vehicles were the result of an influx of acceleration-related accidents for which Toyota faced hundreds of lawsuits (Jacobs & Chase, 2013). Naturally, the large number of recalls and lawsuits threatened to tarnish the company’s image. Thus, in an effort to repair Toyota’s persona, the company overhauled its total quality management (TQM) programs implementing several new marketing strategies which included global advertising campaigns, technological developments, quality and safety-related reforms (Kozaki, Oura &Amasaka, 2012). Specifically, one of the first new marketing initiatives included an international computer database with the capability to track all Toyota automobile repairs and decrease the customer complaint reporting times from months to days (Jacobs & Chase, 2013). Moreover, Toyota adjusted the company’s advertising strategy by completely eliminating national advertising campaigns that promoted its cars for dependability, safety, and reliability. The automaker also reorganized its just-in-time (JIT) and Toyota production system (TPS) production processes (Amasaka, 2009). Toyota named a new managing director to revamp and oversee all safety-related concerns. The company also established Swift Market Analysis Response Teams (SMART), rapid response teams responsible for tracking down safety defects and determining the cause of accidents in the United States and internationally (Jacobs & Chase, 2013). It is essential that Toyota utilize strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis going forward to accurately analyze the current state of
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