Introduction
Crisis situations can occur in the business environment quite often and threaten the existence of companies and their profits in the future. One example of a severe case is the Tylenol crisis in 1982 caused by the Johnson & Johnson organization (Argenti, 2020). In this case, several people died due to the use of Tylenol capsules that the company produced and which contained cyanide.
Applying Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to this case is essential to understanding how the company was able to recover from the incident (Muhammad et al., 2022). In accordance with this concept, Johnson & Johnson quickly responded to the tragedies that occurred and took full responsibility for the deaths. To prevent possible dangerous situations for a wide range of people, 32 million bottles of this product were recalled (Argenti, 2020). This was the right decision because it showed the public that the organization cares about people and does not want to allow any dangerous situations in the future.
Application of Image Restoration Theory to Johnson & Johnson’s Case
Johnson & Johnson applied Image Restoration Theory (IRT), which was aimed at creating an image of mortification. This was done by admitting guilt and expressing regret for what happened. The crisis situation contributed to the fact that the company began to take care of people by introducing new approaches to packaging products with protection against unauthorized opening (Singh, 2022). This step made it possible to significantly restore customer confidence in the company so that the brand began to rebuild its image. The company’s anti-crisis communication was also manifested in the fact that Johnson & Johnson actively communicated with various stakeholders to help resolve possible conflict situations (Singh, 2022). The company provided people with all relevant and timely information in order to keep them informed about how the situation was being resolved by the organization.
Communication with media constituted essential components in the organization’s recovery strategy. This allowed for the transparency that must be present in order for Johnson & Johnson to appropriately interact with the public. A large amount of information that is critical for the company is transmitted through the media (Sellnow & Seeger, 2021). The company’s use of SCCT led it to make significant changes to its packaging to prevent further crisis situations. This is an example of a proactive strategy that aims to eliminate vulnerability. The company also explained in detail the origin of the crisis situation, which contributed to the audience’s understanding of the origin (Singh, 2022). This was also done in order to address any problematic issues that arose in the company’s relations with clients.
Evaluation of Corporate Apologia
Corporate apologies became a vital part of the Tylenol crisis as the resulting situation resulted in several deaths. The first step was taking responsibility and admitting guilt, which contributed to addressing understanding and improving relations with the public. Recognition of the seriousness of the situation marked the beginning of apologies that were extremely important in order to continue to conduct complex activities that will improve and develop new drugs and products.
One crucial step was the recall of all products that were supplied to stores (Singh, 2022). This step became imperative so that people began to feel safe through the absence of products that poisoned a large number of people. This helped ensure effective corporate apologies. Public statements and expressions of sympathy and regret from the public needed to show a commitment to customer safety. Discussing the harm caused and justifying how the company would continue to ensure an adequate level of safety for people helped them rebuild trust and promote reputational endurance.
An essential aspect of the company’s apology was the undertaking of quick and timely actions that demonstrated the correction of what was wrong. Johnson & Johnson found that the reason people were poisoned with cyanide was that the packages could be easily opened and then repackaged as new (Singh, 2022). This could cause poisoning as attackers could easily substitute the drugs. Taking measures in the form of introducing packaging that was reliably protected from tampering played a vital role in the way the company’s products were perceived in the future. This proactive approach to management played an important role in how the crisis subsequently impacted customer perceptions of the company (Singh, 2022).
Expressions of empathy and sincere regret for what happened played an important role in how consumers responded to the situation. In addition, caring for the families of the victims also had a significant positive effect, which allowed the organization to mitigate the crisis in a certain way. In the eyes of consumers, the company began to look more humane and one that promoted trust, as the audience understood that Johnson & Johnson would take measures to ensure that such cases could not be repeated.
Conclusion
The effective use and impact of corporate change have had a long-term impact on the company’s reputation. The Tylenol crisis was a turning point for Johnson & Johnson to begin rethinking packaging and how products were distributed. Using quality methods of making changes, the organization achieved mitigation of the effects of the harm caused, and such incidents did not recur in the future (Singh, S. (2022). Moreover, this case created a standard of responsibility that companies must bear for the products supplied. Taking decisive action to control the situation allowed the organization to regain consumer trust. This situation thus demonstrated the effectiveness of corporate apologies.
References
Argenti, P. A. (2020). Communicating through the coronavirus crisis. Harvard Business Review, 13. Web.
Muhammad, I., Ali, H., Raza, G., Jamshed, A. S., & Zaidi, H. F. (2022). Factors influencing of public relation in crisis communication management: A qualitative investigation of organization. Central European Management Journal, 30(4), 2250-2271.
Sellnow, T. L., & Seeger, M. W. (2021). Theorizing crisis communication. John Wiley & Sons.
Singh, S. (2022). Investigating the role of public relation in corporate image and crisis management. International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science, 4(5), 3177-3182.