Anti-Crisis Communications Strategy on the Example of Overcoming German Automotive Industry Crisis

The present study focuses on Volkswagen's crisis response in overcoming the "Dieselgate" crisis. The hypothesis of the present work is that the position of openness to the public is essential for the company to effectively overcome a reputational crisis. The author examines the theoretical basis of the concepts of crisis and crisis communication and appeals to them compared with close areas of PR. The research part of this work contains expert interviews with representatives of automotive companies Volkswagen, Audi and BMW, as well as the study of Toyota's crisis in the US market in 2010. In conclusion, the author identifies a list of recommendations for the modern automobile brand for an effective crisis response within a reputational scandal based on the analysis of the theoretical and empirical data obtained in the research.