Toyota remains in a heap of controversy, and for now problems are only getting worse. But Toyota executives are not shying away from their temporary set backs, and are even going beyond the usual PR techniques.
With many customers outraged, and potential customers weary about the brand, Toyota’s President and COO Jim Lentz has taken to social media websites to dispel concerns and even answer questions directly from consumers. One interview was conducted live on social news website Digg.
Jim Lentz was interviewed over a half hour live Webcast hosted on Digg, which garnered over 870,000 viewers. Users were able to ask questions, and the moderator chose to ask the top 10 most popular questions from the Digg community.
“It was an opportunity to establish a conversation with our customers,” said Doug Frisbie, Toyota’s national social media and marketing integration manager.
Toyota’s exposure on Digg was just the beginning as the automaker is making the social media rounds to combat the recall crises. In addition to forming a social media response group in Los Angeles to monitor chat rooms, blogs and other websites, Toyota is also bolstering its presence on its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels. With tens of thousands of followers on these sites, Toyota is utilizing every tool at their disposal to communicate with the public, and if the response of the Digg Dialogg was any indication, social media users are waiting and listening.
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Read the latest on the Toyota recall and other Toyota news on this blog.
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