I feel kinda bad for Toyota – more properly for the many people who work directly or indirectly for the giant automaker – but this move seems destined to backfire. According to Fox, Toyota dealers are punishing ABC affiliates for “excessive” coverage of Toyota’s safety problems by pulling advertising from several stations.
Number one, I doubt that the move will do much to “punish” the ABC affiliates. They’ll fill the slots, perhaps for a few dollars less, but they’ll fill them. On the other hand, even though it appears that the corporation had nothing to do with it, most people will see this as Toyota bullying the media and trying to cover up its problems.
Toyota dealerships are free to spend their money wherever they wish of course. That’s kind of why we call it a “free market.” Or at least we did, before the Teleprompter In Chief took office. But they might want to reconsider their strategy here.
Alternately, they can buy a Ford. Everybody else seems to want one.
I want a Ford!
It doesn’t bother me in the least to see Toyota have some troubles. I’ve never been a big Toyota fan.
The Weekend Journal’s cover story was on the Japanese P.R. culture and Toyota’s recent recalls. The Japanese auto industry isn’t one to take issues of quality well, to say the least. Instead of pulling money from ABC affiliates, they should start firing the people in the company who said the accelerator was a floor mat problem for the last four years.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704533204575047370633234414.html
I’ve never been a Toyota fan, but then I’ve never cared for Ford either, their recent independence from the clutches of BHO notwithstanding. I am proud of Ford for that.