The Tylenol Crisis

Tina Bradley
May 6, 2008

The Tylenol Crisis

((Image taken from http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/DailyNews/productrecalls_000831.html.)

The Tylenol Corporation faced what would have a potentially devastating crumble if not for the quick attention and public relations strategy implemented in 1982. The company faced what would have been a complete demise associated with cyanide-laced capsules placed into bottles and causing the death of seven people. Upon hearing the news from the media Johnson & Johnson chairman, James Burke formed a seven-member strategy team. The main objectives for their recovery attempt were to first: protect the people and second: figure out how to save the product. (http://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson%20&%20Johnson.htm) J&J didn’t think twice. They utilized the media to announce to the public the immediate discontinuation of the product until further notice. (http://www.aerobiologicalengineering.com/wxk116/TylenolMurders/crisis.html) J&J also established a 1-800 number for consumers and for news organizations to call to receive daily messages with updated statements about the crisis. (Berge, 1990). Destroying 31 million capsules came at a hefty price tag of $100 million. (http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-03-17-dezenhall_x.htm)
In the weeks to come, the company reintroduced the capsules with triple-seal tamper-resistant packaging. Tylenol gained the trust of the medical community and consumers through several tactics and ultimately gained much of its market share back in a matter of months. (http://www.prssa.org/blog/post.aspx?Id=10) I think one of the best illustrations demonstrated by the Johnson and Johnson Corporation was there intent to protect their customers no matter what the cost. In 1982, I was 8 years-old and I remember the direct impact it had on my community. All the adults were talking about the tampering of the Tylenol bottles and the overall affect it would have on everyday life. For me and countless other children that meant Halloween. Parents were fearful of contamination to our candy we received when we went trick or treating. If someone could tamper with capsules, they could surely tamper with candy that was simply wrapped in a plastic covering. The scare lasted for some time, although we were not in Chicago.

1. Tylenol Murders
2. Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis
3. Tylenol Can't Cure All Crises
4. Tylenol's Crisis Plan
5. Berge, T. (1990). The First 24-Hours. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell, Inc.

Preparing for Crisis Situations

Preparing for Crisis Situations

Caitlin Gooch

Companies are never indestructible and must be prepared for the worst to happen in every situation. This is when crisis prevention comes into play. If an organization isnt careful, one false move can jeopardize an employer's job or a company's reputation. There is no such thing as being too prepared, and companies everywhere should implement a crisis prevention plan.

Having a written crisis management plan is not only playing it safe or thinking ahead, it can help prevent internal disasters within your company or organization. No one ever thinks a crisis will happen to them, but one false move could deface a company's image.

A crisis can be defined as a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs leading to a decisive change. In order to minimize potential problems within an organization, a smart thing to do is delegate a crisis management team or even a single person to plan for crisis situations. After a crisis task force is assigned, it is important to train managers and other employers in case they are the ones answering to a crisis.

To begin planning for a crisis, several initial questions need to be addressed: What problems could surface? What are some possible scenarios of things going wrong? Is the entire company aware of how to act if a crisis does indeed surface?

Some key facts to think about in your disaster planning include:

1. Disasters will occur
2. You have to have a plan before the disaster hits
3. React with urgency, but don't panic
4. Ride it out

Taking the time to plan for a crisis can be very tedious and overwhelming, but when a company's name or reputation can be saved, it is all worth it in the end.

Crisis Management missing in Undergrad programs

Crisis Management Missing in Undergrad Programs
By Ashlie Clay

As a college student, I often find myself engulfed in my own bubble, preoccupied with classes, my work schedule and finding time for friends, all while striving for a sufficient amount of rest and consuming some fraction of the main food groups. But in lieu of recent events, hurricane Katrina and the tragedies that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, I find it a necessary to be aware of what is going on outside of my own little world. In a utopian society the unexpected would not occur and the necessity of a crisis management plan would be null and void. But as we are all aware, the world in which we live is far from utopia.

Crisis management focuses on worst case scenarios and ultimately managing the information from internal sources to the media and general public. Good crisis management is proactive when it comes to this inevitable component of PR. So why not prepare potential PR practitioners for the inevitable? As a PR senior, graduating in less than three months, I have had no formal training in crisis management over the entire course of my studies at the University. Several universities do offer crisis management courses but are only required in graduate programs.

The crisis management link between PR, communication and business is vital in any industry and can truthfully make or break a company. We take such care in learning the art of news releases, the importance of research, identifying target publics and organizing and implementing a campaign, but what do we do when a hurricane destroys half a state and displaces thousands of people? Or our company’s number one product is found to be defective and harmful. Crisis management is part of real world PR and should be part of PR undergraduate curriculum as well.


http://www.prweekus.com/The-business-of-teaching-PR/article/45288/

http://www.gwu.edu/~guides/sciences/crisis.html

http://www.cmionline.org/

http://www.universitycrisisresponse.com/contents.htm

http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/