It is the brand ad that nobody in a company ever wants to have to make: When you’ve been hit by a disaster and need to assure current and future customers that you will bounce back. For some companies brought low by natural or human-made circumstances, this can even get ignored in the need to do figurative – and sometimes literal – firefighting. However, if your plight has been splashed across national media, you need to act quickly to prevent a collapse of confidence in your brand.
For some companies brought low by natural or human-made circumstances, this can even get ignored in the need to do figurative – and sometimes literal – firefighting., you need to act quickly to prevent a collapse of confidence in your brand. And that is exactly what Toyota South Africa has done with the commercial it put together as the company got back on its feet after the destruction wrought at its Durban factory by the recent devastating floods.
The Durban factory produces Corolla Cross and Quest, Hilux, Hiace Ses’fikile and Fortuner – while also assembling a variety of Hino commercial vehicles. So to have it offline for two months was bound to cause worry among customers, but also among dealers, parts suppliers and its staff. No actors, no fancy digital effects. Just the ordinary folk at Toyota – ordinary South Africans – getting up, dusting themselves off and getting back to business. It’s a great way to remind people why your brand has become a household word in SA but is also a reminder that all of us – not just those who work for Toyota – are tough and we can overcome.