Flemington, NJ, March 2, 2010 – A series of media studies exploring Toyota’s brand favorability revealed that viewers indicated that the recent apology by Akio Toyoda during a congressional hearing was less sincere than Jim Lentz’ earlier apology to Toyota owners.

The results were based on a series of studies that were conducted by HCD Research using its MediaCurves.com® website during 2009-2010. The studies were conducted among Americans who ranked the video apologies regarding the recent recall of many Toyota models. The most recent study was conducted during March 1-2, to obtain viewers’ perceptions of an apology by Akio Toyoda, president and CEO Toyota Motor Corporation, to the U.S. Congress. To view detailed results go to www.mediacurves.com.

After viewing the video, respondents reported that “skepticism” (54 percent) was the emotion they felt most while viewing the apology. In addition, Akio Toyoda was rated lower on likeability, believability, and sincerity scales than Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

Among the findings:

Do you think that the apology to Toyota owners was sincere?

Which of the following emotions did you feel while viewing the video? Please select all that apply. 

Please rate the person in the video on the following attributes where 1 represents “Not at all strong in this attribute” and 7 represents “Extremely strong in this attribute.”