J&J Tylenol Crisis
J&J Tylenol Crisis
J&J Tylenol Crisis
Products Type
Listerine Mouthwash
Acuvue Disposable Contact Lenses
Imodium Anti-Diarrheal Drug
BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages
Neutrogena Skin Care Products
Tylenol Pain Reliever
Tylenol
Tylenol is a brand of medicationpromoted for its ability to relieve allergy, cold, cough, headache, and
influenza symptoms as well as pain and fever. Its initial flagship product contains the analgesic and
antipyretic paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen in the United States, Canada, and other nations.
The brand was introduced in 1955 by McNeil Laboratories, a family-owned pharmaceutical
manufacturer. After Johnson & Johnson acquired McNeil in 1959, the medication was sold over the
counter the following year. Tylenol uses a variety of advertising strategies. One of these advertisement
campaigns focuses on "getting you back to normal", whereas the other commercials focus on Tylenol's
current slogan, "Feel better, Tylenol". In the "Feel better, Tylenol" commercials, which feature a variety of
people sleeping while a voiceover explains how sleep may help the body mend and recover while
experiencing aches and pains, thus emphasising the value of sleep,. In the "getting you back to normal"
commercial, Tylenol emphasises the importance of assisting its customers in returning to their daily
routines; numerous individuals are first seen enduring headaches and other types of body pain, with a
voiceover stating that Tylenol Rapid Release can help rid aches and pains; the individuals are then shown
enjoying their daily lives and are viewed as "back to normal."
Tylenol Safety Crisis : Timeline
Sept. 30, 1982: A deadly amount of cyanide found in Extra- Oct. 5: Three bottles that had been tampered with are traced
Strength Tylenol capsules causes the deaths of two brothers and to a local drugstore. Johnson & Johnson urges all stores
a 12-year-old girl according to medical officials in the Chicago nationwide to withdraw Tylenol - regular-strength and extra-
area. On September 29, two women from the Chicago suburbs strength - from their shelves.
who had taken Extra-Strength Tylenol are also declared dead. Dec. 6, 1982: First shipments of new tamper-resistant
Oct. 1: Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules "had been wrenched packages of Tylenol capsules are shipped to retailers.
open and put back together," according to investigators. Feb. 6, 1984: Deadline for drug makers to get non-tamper-
Following the identification of a second tainted batch, lot resistant packages off store shelves. Most manufacturers
1910MD, which is also recalled, the U.S. Food and Drug jumped well ahead of the deadline.
Administration warns customers against consuming Extra-
Strength Tylenol.
Oct. 2: Tylenol sales in Chicago are outlawed by Mayor Jane
Byrne. The capsules contained potassium cyanide, a poison
often employed in metal plants and school chemistry labs,
according to the authorities. The poison was most likely put on
the shelves 36 hours prior to the first death.
Oct. 4: On October 1, J&J announces that it would no longer be
producing Extra-Strength Tylenol in pill form. The FDA claims
that after testing more than a million painkiller capsules across
the country, no cyanide is discovered outside of the Chicago
metropolitan area.
Actions Taken
• James Burke, the chairman of Johnson & Johnson, formed a seven-person strategy team in response to the
unfavourable media attention. Burke gave the crew two strategic directives: "How do we safeguard the
people?" and "How do we save this product?”. The company's initial move was to promptly warn consumers
across the country not to ingest any form of Tylenol product through the media.
• In order to explain their crisis management plan, Johnson & Johnson also engaged the media, including
sponsored advertising and public relations. In order to warn the public not to take the Tylenol product,
Johnson & Johnson employed the media to issue a national advisory.
• Johnson & Johnson developed a 1-800 hot line for customers to call during the first week of the crisis. When
customers called the 1-800 number to ask about the safety of Tylenol, the firm would answer them.
Additionally, they set up a free phone number that press organisations can contact to get daily recorded
messages with updated statements about the problem.
• At a press conference held at the corporate offices of the manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson announced the
launch of their new triple safety seal packaging, which consists of a glued box, a plastic seal over the bottle's
neck, and a foil cover over the bottle's mouth. Just six months after the crisis, Tylenol became the first product
in the sector to employ the new tamper-resistant packaging.
Learnings
•J&J took swift action, spoke openly about what had occurred, and attempted to eliminate any potential
sources of hazard as soon as possible.
•Throughout the crisis, J&J's leadership took the initiative and appeared to be in complete control.
•The removal of Tylenol capsules from the market and James Burke's candour in dealing with the media
won him widespread respect.
•J&J prioritised their customers. J&J spent over $100 million on the Tylenol recall and relaunch. Just prior
to the tragedy, the stock was trading close to a 52-week high. After a brief decline, it quickly returned to its
highs.
•J&J accepted responsibility. Burke could have framed the catastrophe in a number of ways, including as
an attack on the business, a glitch in the distribution of Tylenol from J&J factories to retail outlets, or the
actions of a psychotic criminal.
•J&J worked to ensure that steps were taken to stop the issue from happening again as much as
feasible. J&J introduced tamper-proof packaging that would make it much more difficult for a similar
occurrence to happen in the future (backed by an expanded media campaign).
•In the sake of customer safety, J&J demonstrated that it was ready to deal with the immediate harm.
More than anything else, that built a foundation of trust with their clients. Within a year of the catastrophe,
J&J's market share for analgesics, which had dropped to 7% from 37% after the poisoning, had rebounded
back to 30%.
References
• https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/IHT-tylenol-mad
e-a-hero-of-johnson-johnson-the-recall-that-started.html
• https://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson%20&
%20Johnson.htm#:~:text=During%20the%20fall%20of%201982,stores
%20in%20the%20Chicago%20area
.
• https://apnews.com/article/c501b46c160c342222d3414c286b74a1