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ASHLEY MCCOWN COMMENTS ON MATTEL'S TOY RECALL IN THE BOSTON HERALD
August 2007
On Aug. 16 in the Boston Herald' s business section, Solomon McCown Executive Vice President Ashley McCown commented on Mattel's effectiveness in handling a massive toy recall of more than 19 million toys manufactured in China because some models have been made with lead paint and others contain small, powerful magnets that could be harmful if swallowed by children.
Analyzing Mattel's response to the recall crisis, McCown praised the toy company for its "full monty" approach and said, "They would pass my litmus test on what you'd like to see in terms of good crisis communications." The company has apologized, explained what went wrong and how they plan to fix the issues so it doesn't happen again, and even made the problem personal with Mattel Chief Executive Officer Bob Eckert trying to appeal to concerned consumers as a fellow parent, observed McCown.
With many parents' concerns hitting the blogosphere, McCown suggested the company create a strategy to handle online chatter involving safety concerns and discussions of potential class-action lawsuits.
"The big question for Mattel, and really all toy companies, is whether this recall will be the Grinch that stole Christmas for them."To view the full text of the article, click here.
