Running head: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CASE STUDYEffective Communication Case StudyAuthorUniversityPublic RelationsMKT 438InstructorJul 27, 2007Effective Communication Case StudyIn the summer of 1993, PepsiCo Corporation the makers of Diet Pepsi spent one long week managing a public relations nightmare. "On Wednesday, June 9th, retired meat salesman Tex Triplett, 82, of Tacoma, Washington, and his wife, Mary, 78, reported that while looking into a Diet Pepsi..found a syringe. They turned the materials over to their attorney, who then contacted the Pierce County Health Department"(roadsideamerica.com, 1996). The news media latched onto the claims fueled by additional accusations from multiple states.
Effective Communication StrategyPepsiCo Corporation took an instant offensive stance to the claims in an effort to combat the negative repercussions from the syringe accusations. Timing was critical during this crisis; the public's perception of the safety of the PepsiCo. product Diet Pepsi and PepsiCo's overall stance on the safety of consumers was on the line.
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PepsiCo 4"The plant was opened to the media and the plant owner, manager, and quality assurance manager were made available to the press"(Center & Jackson, 2003). PepsiCo's communication strategy was to only communicate on the facts and the evidence and maintain open lines of communication with its publics.
PepsiCo Co.'s direct approach and open lines of communication with consumers, media, and FDA helped to provide an open book image of the company. The company was convinced this was not an assembly line issue within the business and was willing to answer to their publics. A critical piece of the company's effective communication plan was the ability to provide fact-based answers to questions. Damage control began through these response teams who were able to provide information to the publics. These teams were also able to poll the public image of PepsiCo in an effort to provide an assessment...