Case Analysis - A Tylenol Crisis

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nt packaging along with coupons giving up to $2.50 off the purchase. Johnson and Johnson also had company representatives make public presentations to the people in the medical field, to promote and reintroduce the product.
The reasons behind the effectiveness of the public relations campaign by Johnson and Johnson are that they fully cooperated with the media, and did not try to hide the scandal. The media did a lot of the company’s work, as they had full cooperation (Kaplan, 2005, p 7). Another important aspect of the public relations campaign was that the management was available and outspoken. The statement made by Burke chairman of Johnson and Johnson to the media is a perfect example. “It is our jobs at Johnson and Johnson to ensure the survival of Tylenol, and we are pledged to do this. While we consider the crime an assault on society we are nevertheless ready to fulfill our responsibility, which includes paying the price for this heinous crime. But I urge you not to make Tylenol the scapegoat (Seitel, 2004, p 45).
Identifying the Publics
The external publics involved in the Tylenol cases were, the consumers (people purchasing the product), the media (newspapers and television), the local police, the Federal Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, health professionals and hospitals.
The internal publics were the Tylenol plant employees, including production to office staff, company executives, sales personnel and stakeholders. All of these publics were involved in the effective public relations campaign produced by Johnson and Johnson.
Impact of Communication
The impact of this communication on the intended publics was extreme. The message sent by Johnson and Johnson was clear and precise. They had done nothing wrong, but were assuming responsibility for their products, and concerns from their publics. This left little room for negative public relations. How can one argue with t...