NNPA Calls Toyota Out Over Broken Promises

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Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Inc.'s publisher William Garth, Sr. (second left) was among several U.S. businessmen that accompanied Rev. Jackson to Japan. (L to R) Judge Ed Bell, William Garth, Sr. , Nathaniel Conyers, William Schack, Robert Bogle, Ben Polote and Jeff Burns. (Photo Courtesy of Johnson Publishing Company)
Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Inc.'s publisher William Garth, Sr. (second left) was among several U.S. businessmen that accompanied Rev. Jackson to Japan. (L to R) Judge Ed Bell, William Garth, Sr. , Nathaniel Conyers, William Schack, Robert Bogle, Ben Polote and Jeff Burns. (Photo Courtesy of Johnson Publishing Company)

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Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1987. Jackson visited Japan after Nakasone made racially insensitive remarks about African Americans and other minorities. (Photo Courtesy of Johnson Publishing Company)

by Thelma Sardin

Executives at Toyota Motor SalesUSA have found themselves embroiled in a battle with members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) with the NNPA accusing the automaker of rescinding a decision to runa multi-million dollar advertising campaign targeting Black consumers.

The clash between Toyota and the NNPA first arose when automaker was allegedly unwilling to run a Thank you ad in African American newspapers. This came after Toyota reportedly spent millions of dollars in advertising in mainstream newspapers after a safety recall last year.

NNPA also cites that earlier this year, Akio Toyoda, Toyotas president and CEO said, Everyone will continuously maintain a sense of gratitude to customers. But NNPA Chairnman DannyBakewell Sr. responded by saying, "Based on Toyota's actions, it appears that Mr. Toyoda's statement applies to everyone but the Black consumer."

"Toyota insulted us by putting those thank you ads in white newspapers and refusing to address Black consumers in Black newspapers," Walter Smith, publisher of the New York Beacon told the Los Angeles Sentinel.

The NNPA contends that Toyota's actions are shocking considering Blacks contributed $2.2 billion towards Toyotas annual sales.

In addition, Black consumers purchased 96, 118 Toyota vehicles in 2010. Moreover, according to research from a leading automotive marketing research firm R.L. Polk& Company, Black consumers represent almost 10 percent of Toyota's American market share, 15 out of every 100 Black consumers purchase a Toyota, the Los Angeles Sentinel reports.

Currently, Toyota spends $1.6 billion annually advertising in America of which $20 million is spent in total in Black media, including radio, print, television, and digital advertising. However, Bakewell pointed out in the Los Angeles Sentinel recently that the mediaToyota uses to reach Black people is not always Black-owned even though Toyota claims to spend $20 million with Black-owned media, he said.

NNPAs latest battle with Toyota is not the first falling out the automaker has had with the Black community.

In 2001, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson met with Toyota executives about a culturally insensitive advertisement.

The ad which was a postcard, from Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi, Torrance, Calif., showed a smiling mouth on an obviously black face with a gold 2001 RAV4 SUV on a front tooth, according to an Advertising Age report.

Rev. Jackson met with the executives to ensure that a diversity initiative was institutionalized throughout the company, says Glenda Gill, executive director of Rainbow PUSHs automotive project in Detroit.

The initiative was in response to the racially charged advertisement. As a product of the initiative, Toyota formed a 21st Century Diversity Strategy including the companys Diversity Advisory Board.

In 2001, Toyota said the Diversity Advisory Board would consist of high-level community leaders from such fields as business, law, labor and government. The automaker added that the board would represent the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the community.

In a recent letter to NNPA, James H. Colon, Toyotas Vice President of Product Communications, said, Since 2001, when our Diversity Advisory Board was formed, Toyota has received excellent advice and superior guidance to enhance all aspects of our engagement with the African American community.

Although Colon stood by Toyota's "engagement" with Blacks in the letter, even Japanhas had a history ofmaking racially insensitive remarks in reference to Blacks.

In 1987 for example, Rev. Jackson traveled to Japan after the countrys prime minister; Yasuhiro Nakasone made racial slurs against minorities.

Nakasones inflammatory remarks implied that Blacks and other minority groups had a low intelligence level.

Jacksons trip was profiled in the Jan 12, 1987 issue of Jet Magazine. Several US businessmen accompanied Jackson on the trip including, Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Inc.s publisher William Garth, Sr.

According to the Jet article, Jackson not only met with Nakasone but with also heads of many Japanese corporations including Toyota.

Jackson informed Nakasone that Blacks at the time purchased 15 to 18 percent of Japanese products but were basically ignored in business contracts with the country.

Additionally, Jackson warned the corporation heads that Blacks would boycott their companies if change did not come.

As a result, Nakasone reportedly said he could only encourage Japanese companies to do business with Blacks and Hispanicsin developingsmoother relations.

But twenty four years later, Blacks are still in conflict with receiving fair business trade from Japan and Toyota, in particular, according to the NNPA.

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