In 1982, Tylenol faced a crisis that could have potentially ruined its reputation forever. However, with a good crisis communication plan following Johnson and Johnson’s company mission statement, they were able to turn a potential public relations disaster into an example of good public relations.
After taking Tylenol extra-strenght capsules, seven people died from cyanide poisoning. Although the cyanide poisonings were not Johnson and Johnson’s fault, they took immediate action to rectify the situation. They made public announcements as soon as they heard the news warning people of the tamperings and recalled all Tylenol bottles from stores all over the United States costing their company over $100 million. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall02/Susi/tylenol.htm
By taking immediate action and following their credo, Tylenol successfully proved to its publics that they cared about them. Their credo states, “We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, to mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services…” http://manonamission.blogspot.com/2005/06/johnson-johnsons-jnj-mission-statement.html
In reintroducing the product after the fiasco, they marketed Tylenol in a triple-seal tamper resistant packaging. This further proved to their publics that Tylenol was concerned for their health and safety and were willing to spend lots of money and effort into ensuring that safety. In doing so, they brought their reputation back up and gained the respect of their publics in what could have been a public relations disaster.
