brand marketing blog

It’s interesting to follow the aftermath of Toyota recalling over 8 million vehicles worldwide. Not only have they suffered the financial cost of the recall and retrofits, but have now been unseated as America’s most popular auto brand by Ford.

According to the Bloomberg National Poll, more than 4 in 10 Americans say they “would definitely not buy a Toyota. Interestingly, Ford was the only American carmaker that didn’t seek federal rescue funding, and is seen favorably by 77 percent of those surveyed. Perhaps that has partly helped them to create a ‘good guy’ image, but Toyota’s woes have certainly helped them along.

It’s ironic that Ford has stolen a leap on Toyota when it wasn’t more than a few years ago they were the centre of their own recall controversy when Firestone tyres on their Explorer models caused a number of fatal accidents, culminating in a bevy of lawsuits.  That situation threatened the viability of Ford, but they successfully managed to overcome it and claw their way back into the hearts of American drivers.

How long will Ford stay at the top of the automaker heap? Maybe it’s a long overdue shift back to supporting US brand vehicles, or perhaps it’s just an opportunistic shift until Ford fails and another brand steps up to the plate.

It just goes to show how fickle and fragile a brand can be, even for a blue chip fortune 500. You simply cannot rest on your brand laurels. There is always a potential disaster lurking around the next corner, and those brands that predict, react positively and manage the inevitable problems will win the war.

With the array of powerful online tracking tools available to marketers today, it has made it far easier to manage brand reputation, implement swift damage control and build online brand communities.