Toyota’s woes are a good reminder

Is your company crisis communications plan ready to go? 

Toyota is probably learning some hard lessons about crisis communications at the moment. It’s unfortunate, but it appears that the Japanese proverb, “The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour,” has become relevant at Toyota. The company has lately been doing all the right things, but it seemed uncertain and slow off the mark. Every day seemed to bring us more news about global recall and repair programs, not the steps being taken to fix the problem and make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

A crisis represents a loss of control, however brief. For that defined time period, all a company can control is its own response to the crisis. How well or how poorly the company manages itself as it reasserts control – while communicating effectively with its stakeholders and the media – can define corporate reputation long after the crisis is over. 

Every firm should have an up to date crisis communications plan to complement its emergency response and corporate crisis management plans. As Toyota struggles to staunch the bleeding, now is a good time for any communications manager to ask themselves, “Is our Crisis Communications Plan up to date?” Should new communication tools like FaceBook and Twitter be part of our plan? Do we have a “dark” website ready to go “live” at a moment’s notice?

A crisis is an emergency, a turning point and always an opportunity. Be prepared and have the tools and resources you need at your fingertips. All-important crisis communications tools such as pre-approved messages, public statement templates, standby web pages and key contacts directories cannot be created while the crisis unfolds. Communica has the expertise and many years of experience to help clients develop or update crisis communications plans.