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Past, Present, Future: the basics of crisis PR

By: Beth Minnigerode | 03/24/2008

This month's issue of Public Relations Tactics revisits the Tylenol cyanide tampering crisis of 1982 – an industry standard of crisis PR done right. Times have changed and social media has certainly added an even timelier element to crisis management. However, the main principles of how Johnson & Johnson handled their response are still the cornerstones of successful crisis communications:

1.  
   1. Being prepared ahead of time.
   
   
   2. Acting quickly and definitively.
   
   
   3. Telling the truth.
   
   
   4. Treating the media with respect and honesty.
   
   
   5. Meeting media deadlines whenever possible.
   
   
   6. Following up with answers to questions that may not be readily available.
   
   
   7. Avoiding speculation on information that is not yet available.
   
   
   8. Identifying a high-level spokesperson to communicate with the media, as well as other internal/external audiences.

Learn more about what happened during Tylenol's crisis, which resulted in seven deaths.

Posted in Issues and Crisis Management