Johnson & Johnson & the Tylenol Episode

Johnson & Johnson's position in the Tylenol case study is one that has occurred frequently to others in recent news. Cases of wrongdoing on the part of various big corporations or prominent individuals seem to be at an all-time high. However, in most cases, the wrongdoers fail to address their wrongdoing with the commitment and integrity that Johnson & Johnson did. Instead, they attempt to justify their behavior on some grounds that sound plausible. What is striking is that Johnson & Johnson did not even engage in any wrongdoing. In fact, the tragic poisonings were not due to any neglect, oversight, or any form of misappropriation on their part at all; they were guiltless. Yet they assumed full responsibility for the poisonings and took the financial hit squarely in the jaw, withdrawing their product from the shelves of all stores nationwide more than once at their own expense. It was the right thing to do, and the public responded by renewing their trust in Johnson & Johnson.

There were two publics involved in the Tylenol episode, and Johnson & Johnson handled them both superbly. The internal public employees and executives within Johnson & Johnson were reminded of the company's credo, reflecting its extensive commitment to their well-being as employees. The external public consumers, the government, other drug manufacturers, and anyone else who heard about the situation also got to see the credo, which detailed the company's commitment to them as their first pri

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nship with the public and wanted to keep it. This type of response typically succeeds with people, because it honors them. It succeeded with the public at large for the same reason. It is hard to quarrel with the way Johnson & Johnson communicated its message, because the results were so positive. It used a number of public relations tools and techniques to get its message across: the company credo, corporate public relations, solicited feedback, and public statements. The company credo was the strongest tool in the toolkit, since its statement of responsibility and integrity was not only reassuring but remarkable in an age of fairly cavalier wrongdoing. Since the company had truly done no wrong, there was little risk in using this tool, because there was no chance of some undiscovered wrongdoing coming out later that would impugn the integrity that is so clearly expressed in the credo. Corporate public relations is primarily intended to maintain a good relationship with employees, but it serves another purpose also presenting a unified front to the world. By behaving the same way internally as externally, the company proved that it was transparent and above board with everyone. Solicited feedback is a valuable tool that

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