The purpose of this study is to explore the use of crisis communication strategies (i.e. Coomb’s Situational Crisis Communication Theory and Bradford & Garrett’s Communicative Response Model) by examining Volkswagen’s key messages in U.S. commercial ad campaigns, individual vehicle commercials, and print ads before, during and after the emissions scandal. The content analysis also identified these specific crisis response strategies in the company’s 2015 through 2018 annual reports, press releases and letters to the company shareholders
