The sheer scale of Toyota’s recall has caused many to compare it to the J&J Tylenol recall of 1982. The reality is, though, that these crisis management cases are similiar only in the fact that both involve recalls of entire product lines. As this quote from a PR News Online article written by Andrew Gilman explains, the difference is in the Three V’s:
The Three V’s in Crises are the Victim, the Villain and the Vindicator. J&J was both a Victim and a Vindicator and never the Villain. Toyota—for now at least—is simply the Villain. Victims are those affected by the crisis. Villains tend to be those who cause the calamity. And Vindicators are those who help provide solace to the victims and help solve the problem.
In Tylenol’s case, Johnson & Johnson and its Tylenol brand were considered almost as much the victim as the people who were poisoned by the saboteurs. J&J was the victim of industrial sabotage, perpetrated by unknown individuals who have yet to be caught. Toyota is hardly the victim in the current crisis. Whatever the ultimate resolution—which might get them into the vindicator category—the car manufacturer is by no means innocent in the pedal, floor mat and brakes issues.
While J&J was seen almost immediately in a sympathetic light, Toyota has no such advantage. Because the auto giant sits firmly in the role of villain, its road to redemption will be strewn with far more obstacles.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/