Crisis Communications Plan

Full Answer Section

Crisis communications plan for the Tylenol poisonings that occurred in 1982:

Executive Summary

On September 29, 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Tylenol capsules that had been laced with cyanide. This was a major crisis for Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Tylenol. The company’s initial response was slow and inadequate, and it took several days for them to issue a recall of all Tylenol products.

In the aftermath of the crisis, Johnson & Johnson developed a new crisis communications plan. This plan included the following strategies:

Be honest and transparent. Johnson & Johnson was upfront about what they knew about the poisonings, and they communicated with the public as soon as possible.
Take responsibility. Johnson & Johnson did not try to blame anyone else for the poisonings. They took responsibility for the safety of their products, and they worked to make sure that Tylenol was safe again.
Empathize with the victims. Johnson & Johnson expressed their sympathy for the victims of the poisonings, and they offered to help the families of the victims.
Take action. Johnson & Johnson took immediate action to remove all Tylenol products from the market. They also developed new tamper-resistant packaging for Tylenol.
This crisis communications plan helped Johnson & Johnson to regain the trust of the public. The company’s stock price recovered, and Tylenol sales eventually surpassed pre-crisis levels.

Team Members

Crisis Communications Manager: This person will be responsible for overseeing the crisis communications plan. They will work with the other members of the team to develop and implement the plan.
Media Relations Specialist: This person will be responsible for communicating with the media. They will provide accurate and timely information about the crisis.
Social Media Manager: This person will be responsible for communicating with the public through social media. They will use social media to share information about the crisis and to answer questions from the public.
Public Relations Specialist: This person will be responsible for communicating with the public through traditional channels, such as press releases and public appearances.
Legal Counsel: This person will be responsible for providing legal advice to the crisis communications team. They will help the team to ensure that they are complying with all applicable laws and regulations.
Strategies and Steps

The following are the strategies and steps that will be used to implement the crisis communications plan:

Be honest and transparent. The crisis communications team will be honest and transparent with the public about what they know about the crisis. They will not try to hide anything, and they will be as open as possible with the public.
Take responsibility. The crisis communications team will take responsibility for the crisis. They will not try to blame anyone else, and they will focus on making sure that the crisis is resolved.
Empathize with the victims. The crisis communications team will empathize with the victims of the crisis. They will express their sympathy for the victims, and they will offer to help the victims in any way that they can.
Take action. The crisis communications team will take immediate action to address the crisis. They will work to resolve the crisis as quickly as possible, and they will take steps to prevent the crisis from happening again.
Communication Activities

The following are the major communication activities that will be performed during the crisis:

Press releases: The crisis communications team will issue press releases to provide the public with information about the crisis.
Social media posts: The crisis communications team will post updates on social media to keep the public informed about the crisis.
Public appearances: The crisis communications team will make public appearances to answer questions from the media and the public.
Website updates: The crisis communications team will update the company’s website with information about the crisis.
Conclusion

This crisis communications plan will help Johnson & Johnson to effectively communicate with the public during a crisis. The plan is comprehensive and it includes a variety of communication activities. By following this plan, Johnson & Johnson can minimize the negative impact of a crisis and protect their reputation.