Extra-Strength Tylenol Capsules Case Summary

In 1982, Johnson & Johnson, the producer of Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules faced a major crisis when 7 deaths resulted from tampered bottles (Kaplan, n.d.). This crisis could have destroyed the company and their reputation if it wouldn’t have been for their quick response and concern for their public relations. It was crucial that they prepared a quick and clear response for their consumers to show their concern for their customers. Therefore, the worldwide recall of Tylenol capsules and the improved packaging accomplished their purposes of restoring the company’s reputation, as well as, protecting their public relations with their consumers.

Johnson & Johnson had a few purposes when they implemented a worldwide recall, replaced the capsules,

Their own advertising manger believed that they would never be able to sell their products under the name of “Tylenol” again according to Tamara Kaplan. However, their decision to put public relations and safety first was the same decision that would preserve their company and reputation for any future crises. The recall used in the artifact and improvement of packaging served as an example of the company’s persistence to protect the consumers and improve their product. Both purposes intended by the artifact ended up serving the company very well because of the clarity in the artifact’s

The artifact itself was made simple, requiring only 3 easy steps for the consumers to follow and involving very little information from the consumer. Johnson & Johnson also stopped advertising and producing the Tylenol capsules during that time to make it clear that they were concerned with everyone’s safety more than they were concerned with their profits (Kaplan, n.d.). Another thing that added to the clarity of their message was their willingness to make advertisements, coupons like the artifact, and interviews to heavily emphasize their concern for the consumer. The clarity of their messages in the artifact was crucial to the audience they wanted to impact.

This artifact was made to reach a broad audience because their targeted audience was not only consumers in Chicago, but also consumers worldwide. The consumers were their most important audience, however, the company also wanted to speak to the family members of those who lost loved ones due to the tampering, as well as, prove the company’s compliance with the Food and Drug Administration and the FBI. Reaching a broader audience helped the company during the time of the crisis because it impacted more people. Therefore, this artifact had a successful impact on the