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The only safe bet with Toyota this year is that it seems like they will have another recall. Their persistent recalls and public quality inquiries have shattered their once unquestionable quality reputation. In an attempt to fix their tarnished reputation, Toyota is running a television campaign touting quality awards, SMART teams, and $1 million spent on safety per hour. But can Toyota’s current television blitz is wipe the massive recalls from America’s memory? Buy Back Guarantees are an interesting debate is: Is a guarantee a sign of brand confidence or brand insecurity? We have all witnessed the anti-exposure: a commercial that is so annoying it not only wore out its brand welcome, but has also became a detriment to the brand — degrading the brand with each successive viewing. The purchase funnel is a diagnostic tool we can use to determine the health of our brand. It works. However, people will continue to contort the funnel for dramatic effect and attention. That’s okay, the metaphor will survive. It will be baromoter to guide us to something deeper. Something actionable. Something personal. This is an interesting debate, because the models may hold us back. Subjectivity in creative, in ideas, and in different channels is difficult to measure. As we increase efforts in lesser known areas like digital, social, and mobile, the comfort level of many decision makers decrease. Many people think these channels make for nice tactics, but they wouldn’t bet their entire product launch on them. The prefer the television security blanket. Yes, as the old axiom says actions speak louder than words. This idea was reinforced about a year ago by the Ford Motor Company, when they did not take federal funds in the bail out. The action changed many consumers’ view of Ford. It was powerful and memorable. Ironically, about five years earlier Ford ran a corporate campaign called “Bold Moves”. It was not a bad campaign, however, it was marketer rhetoric stating what they were going to do. In the end it wasn’t a series of ads that began to change people’s perception, rather, it was a single bold action. The goal of a no regrets purchase would be to match a buyer with customer with a similar lifestyle profile, interest, and needs. The customer could inform the shopper on functionality and features they found most beneficial. They could talk about features they wished they spent a little more to get. And finally they could reveal features that did not live up to expectations and may not be worth the a higher price. Expectations can vary from delivery, to product performance, to customer support. Where Pennsylvania has Punxutawney Phil to predict spring, Michigan has Pothole Pete. Sure Pete doesn’t predict spring, he just makes Michiganders count the days until spring. Potholes are so common, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has an illustrative guide to pothole creation (The Birth of a Pothole). |
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