Steve Jobs admired Japan’s marketing prowess, particularly their ability to blend simplicity, elegance, and emotional resonance. He noted that companies like Sony and Toyota excelled at crafting narratives that connected deeply with consumers, presenting products as intuitive extensions of life. Japanese marketing emphasized quality, precision, and trust, creating a perception of flawless execution. For Jobs, this wasn’t just advertising—it was storytelling rooted in cultural discipline and customer obsession, making brands feel timeless and reliable.
This ties to Toyota and Honda’s unmatched trust in reliability, built over decades of consistent quality and engineering excellence. In 2025, other auto companies face challenges matching this. EVs bring complexity, software issues linger, and newer brands lack long-term proof. Can any automaker—established or startup—achieve Toyota/Honda’s trust by 2025? Or does such loyalty require decades of flawless delivery? What do you think—can anyone close the gap this year?