In Japan, blogs are a favorite feature of automakers during new product launches or for marking significant occasions. Daihatsu recently launched one to commemorate their 100th anniversary. Nissan has been operating one since the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the Skyline. But now, Toyota USA has one of their very own. It’s called Toyota Open Road Blog, and it’s been live since June of this year (Yeah, we had no idea either).
Well, yesterday’s post just happened to be about the company’s US arm turning the big Five-O. The entry reflects upon Toyota’s humble beginnings at their rented Beverly Hills, CA office and 13-member staff, and just how different things were back then. Martin Luther King Jr. was just forming what would grow into the Civil Rights movement, the Soviets launched Sputnik, and the US conducted its first nuclear test.
Most importantly, however, this blog is part of Toyota’s new push to keep their finger on the pulse of us consumers and enthusiasts. They’ll be closely monitoring what the blogosphere has to say about their products, so if you have anything to praise them on or get off your chest, head on over there and comment away.
[Source: Toyota Open Road Blog and Brandweek via Autoblog]
Hey JNC–Thanks for the nice post re our blog and CGM initiative at Toyota. Important we think to emphasize that our “non-traditional” media emphasis is not so much aimed at spotting threats to our good name and reputation as it is opening up new and authentic channels of communication running 24/7 that allow us to hear first hand what consumers really think about our products and our company in general.
It’s done in the spirit of Kaizen, and we’ve already made improvements to our processes and products thanks to the consumers and customers taking the time to dialog about a company for which they have considerable passion. The kind of folks that drive and support Japanese Nostalgic Car.
This is good news indeed!
Once again JNC scoops the toyotageek! LOL ~ Gee, why didn’t I know about this until now?!