Corporate Brand and PR

Johnson and Johnson has done a such a great job at creating brand image in the consumer area. Despite the Tylenol scare, JNJ still serves more consumers with its trusted brand. Many consumers trust Johnson and Johnson because of their credo. As found on the JNJ website: “We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, to mothers and fathers and all others who use our products and services.  In meeting their needs everything we do must be high quality….” 


The public relations effort to restore the JNJ reputation was successful. J&J used their corporate credo and brand of responsibility to those who use the products to rebuild the corporation. The issues were investigated and JNJ communicated well with the media to keep the consumers well informed. The company  made announcements informing people that they were taking steps to bring quality “back to a level … that Johnson & Johnson demands of its companies." Bill Weldon, J&J CEO has gone on record and apologized for failing in their credo.  The company-wide action made JNJ successful in repairing its image and ensuring quality process measures were in place so a crisis does not happen again. 


Johnson and Johnson is a health care and Pharmaceuticals brand. Their brand encourages people to live a healthy life. There is also a strong emphasis on family. If you love your family, then you will want to buy the best health care products for them. 

Johnson and Johnson Baby Care products

Among JNJ's many products, a popular product is the Johnson and Johnson baby care products. They say, "Johnson and Johnson develops products that go hand in hand with the special moments you have with your baby, as well as moisturizing skin care products for adults." They encourage people to use their products and not only get clean moisturized skin but also share the moment with your family. Johnson and Johnson is there for you when you open a new chapter in your life. They are trying to portray that they care and will always be there for you. 


The JNJ brand uses PR campaigns to enhance the brand. JNJ says, "At Johnson & Johnson, we provide support programs and services to help our employees live healthier and safer lives – at work, home and on the road. This is good for our people and good for our business." They offer programs to help employees and consumers to live a better healthy lifestyle. The programs include: Employee Assistance Program that "helps employees and their families face struggles that affect mental health and quality of life," and many health improvement programs that strengthen people. These programs and many more listed on the JNJ website provide ways to live longer. 


It is important to strengthen the brand for consumers as well as investors. PR enhances how stakeholders feel about the brand. The JNJ PR effort strives to inflict feelings of safety on the people. People want to feel safe and healthy when using the JNJ brand. Johnson and Johnson tries to help people by influencing how people could live better because they care. The more the PR people do to influence their customers, the more investors will want to invest in Johnson and Johnson. 


The community relations efforts form JNJ is one kind of PR initiative that helps strengthen the brand. JNJ helps many people talk about health issues. They find successful stories of unhealthy people who needed help and they demonstrate how JNJ helped them. Their focus is on health and wellness as stated in the company credo.


JNJ uses new media and social media to promote the brand. They use webisodes to promote healthy living, they use the company website to provide information, and they use Facebook to get more followers. New technology increases knowledge of the brand. It is a good idea to use other forms of technology to get more customers and get the company name out there. The more people hear about Johnson and Johnson and what they are doing to improve community relations, the more people will want to buy their brand. 

Corporate Crisis

Johnson and Johnson had to deal with a major corporate crisis. I think they handled the crisis successfully. The J&J corporation was faced with a problem with one of the most popular products, Tylynol. People were reported dead from the drug. Although JNJ didn’t put the deathly additives in the Tylynol, the company still got a black eye from all the bad press.

The crisis happened in October of 1982, when several people form Chicago were reported dead. The death was linked with Tylynol. What a terrible incident! People died from a drug that JNJ sold! The drug was tampered with. 

Johnson and Johnson had to figure out the best way to deal with the situation. They needed to maintain the company's reputation. They needed to come off concerned. Even though the product was not tampered with by JNJ, they took responsibility by ensuring public safety first and recalled all of their capsules from the market. I think this was the best way to handle the situation. As we learned in class, the consumer/ person it affected comes first. It is a duty of a company to protect people first and property later. 
New media made this crisis especially difficult. The public relations practitioner of JNJ, Robert Andrews, heard word of the scandal from news reporters first. He recalls, "We got a call from a Chicago news reporter. He told us that the medical examiner there had just given a press conference-people were dying from poisoned Tylenol. He wanted our comment. As it was the first knowledge we had here in this department, we told him we knew nothing about it. In that first call we learned more from the reporter than he did from us." It is so important especially with the new media bringing instant communication to be prepared. Andrews needs to have a statement ready in case of a crisis. 
The next step Johnson and Johnson took was to create a seven member strategy team focusing on specific points: protecting the people first and then saving the product second. 
The University of Oklahoma did a case study on the Tylenol Crisis. The case study says, "The company's first actions were to immediately alert consumers across the nation, via the media, not to consume any type of Tylenol product. They told consumers not to resume using the product until the extent of the tampering could be determined." JNJ also stopped advertising and production of Tylenol. They took all the products off the shelves in Chicago and the surrounding area.
The word got out. There were press conferences, an internal video of the press conferences to be circulated around the world, and a 60 Minutes segment about the Tylenol scandal. 
The new ideas that came up from this incident changed packaging forever. JNJ created a new foiled safety seal on the bottles. This was communicated in the press conference. This was a great way to handle the situation to show that JNJ cares because they want to fix their product to help the situation. "Tylenol became the first product in the industry to use the new tamper resistant packaging just 6 months after the crisis occurred," says the case study. 

Johnson and Johnson did a great job in taking care of this situation. I still purchase JNJ products. I take Tylenol quite frequently. JNJ 's company's reputation is still appreciated. Media coverage for the scandal was huge. If the PR people didn't take charge with a well organized and detailed crisis plan, then JNJ would appear careless. 
The case study commends the way Johnson and Johnson handled the crisis. They say, "Scholars have come to recognize Johnson & Johnson's handling of the Tylenol crisis as the example for success when confronted with a threat to an organization's existence." Another critic says, ""The Tylenol crisis is without a doubt the most exemplary case ever known in the history of crisis communications. Any business executive, who has ever stumbled into a public relations ambush, ought to appreciate the way Johnson & Johnson responded to the Tylenol poisonings. They have effectively demonstrated how major business has to handle a disaster." I agree with these statements. After reading about the scandal, I am more informed on the events and people involved. I think JNJ should win a prize for their efforts. 

Investor Relations

Bill Weldon CEO of Johnson and Johnson

Johnson and Johnson includes a section on the website for investor relations. The annual report can be found under this tab. When I clicked on 2009 annual report, I was shocked to see a vibrant picture of a family covering most of the screen. There weren't endless amounts of numbers taking over the screen but a clean slick homepage for the 2009 annual report. The top of the page contains tabs labeled Chairman's letter, consumer, citizenship, financial results, shareholder information, etc. I like the clean easy-to-read layout. J & J put effort into posting these results. It makes me want to visit the site because it is easy to find and easy to read. I feel like JNJ takes pride in investor relations because of the fancy layout. 


The goal of the annual report is an opportunity to tell the JNJ story more. Each tab under the investor relations area on the site consists of paragraphs of information about the company and how well it is doing to serve the community. For example, underfinancial results there is information about corporate governance and management responsibility. This section starts off by saying, "Johnson & Johnson is guided by the values set forth in Our Credo, created by General Robert Wood Johnson in 1943. These principles have guided us over the years and continue to set the tone of integrity for the entire Company." J & J informs readers with more information about the company and what it is about. 

The latest letter to the shareholders is written by CEO William C. Weldon. The CEO puts a spin on the bad news he is trying to convey. He blames financial troubles on the "most severe global economic downturn many of us have ever experienced" and "increased competition across our markets." His flowering wording makes the audience feel like JNJ is a powerful company and will never fail you. He says despite all of these hardships, JNJ keeps a strong grasp on the company credo and stays inspired. He concludes with an uplifting farewell, "More than ever, we know that caring for the health and well-being of people is not only an outstanding business but a mission that truly touches lives." Weldon is sending a positive message to readers. He wants everyone to stay with the company through thick and thin. He urges people to never give up in his letter. I get the impression he is a powerful determined man. Investors would most likely feel the same way if not more if they invest money with this company. Investors can come to this site and easily access this letter from the CEO. The fact that Weldon's picture is adjacent to the letter makes the letter more personal. It puts a face to the wording. The overall tone is a bit of concern and a bit motivational. Weldon expresses concern with the first statement, "As I reflect on the year that just passed, and the decades since the founding of Johnson & Johnson in 1886, I can say without hesitation that the year 2009 was one of the most challenging in our history. " He warns readers and gives the bad news first. Throughout the rest of the letter. he takes a turn to say JNJ will "continue to pursue long-term growth opportunities." I have no doubt in my mind that this information is credible. As I am reading the words from Weldon, I want to believe everything he says because it it worded so beautifully. It is easy to read and send a positive motivational message. 

The latest JNJ news release is not as easy on the eyes as the letter to shareholders. Dated October 19. 2010, the article features JNJ's 2010 third quarter reports. It announces a decrease in sales of 0.7%. International sales increased but domestic sales decreased. Weldon sounds credible giving his opinion on the company, "“Our second-quarter results include strong growth in a number of our recently launched products which contributed to solid earnings.” He focuses on the positive rather than the negative. He stresses company action and growth. I see him as a go getter highly involved in the company. This instills confidence in investors because the people need leader to keep everyone on track. When times get tough, it is the leaders job to get into the minds of the employees to keep the ball rolling with company success. The hardships JNJ is facing puts everyone in a gloomy mood. CEO Weldon successfully attempts to motivate the crowd and to encourage investors. The release constantly mentions a decrease in sales here and a decrease in sales there. This is not good news for JNJ. The reason for the decrease in sales has to do with the recall of medicines. Although the release brings bad news, there is no mention of negative opinion. The facts are clearly stated for the investors to read. It is not good news but there are no opinions interjected. I think if someone were to comment about the decrease in sales in the release, then the announcement would take a turn for the worst. The only comment bout the announcement comes from the CEO. He does a great job in keeping investor spirits high. 

Community Relations

Johnson and Johnson giving back


The focus of Johnson and Johnson as said in their mission statement is, "Caring for the world, one person at a time." They embrace research and science by selling healthcare products to advance the well-being of the world. The JNJ website claims they touch the lives of over a billion people each day. Let's see what Johnson and Johnson is doing to show community support! 

Johnson and Johnson employs over 114,000 people and operates 250 companies in sixty countries. With all these people involved in one effort, I would hope to see these employees get involved with the community. 


Johnson and Johnson shows community support in many ways as displayed on their website. The homepage features stories of people's experiences dealing with health issues. Here you can find heartwarming videos and detailed stories about these specific instances. JNJ gives advice on how to cope with these problems. "Delivering HIV Education Through Soccer" is a five day summit in Cape Town where girls ages 14-19 can go to talk about HIV. 


JNJ brought forty girls from South Africa and the United States for the event, "Glitz Got Skillz." It was a young woman's summit on health, leadership and empowerment sponsored by the proud caretakers of the world, JOHNSON & JOHNSON! Girls talked about their love for soccer and opened up about HIV. Johnson and Johnson lifted their spirits by promoting healthy decision making and self confidence. The girls attend inspirational workshops and educational activities. Glitz got Skillz provides girls with a safe place to talk and get education about HIV. This is how JNJ cares about the community. You can get more information about HIV on the company website. 


Johnson and Johnson focuses on helping the world. They do not just say they care but they act upon their mission statement by promoting healthy decision making to young girls. There are many other community-based programs that JNJ offers. They support programs for women and children who have trouble surviving. JNJ partners with other groups to educate people serving in the community on proper healthcare skills. JNJ along with other communities work on preventing  disease like HIV/AIDS and diabetes. 


A link on the homepage titled "Our Caring" will bring users to a website explaining how JNJ gives back to the community. JNJ says, "The desire to make people healthier and safer is at the heart of our Company’s giving." The video speaks louder than words. It was a good tool to really demonstrate how JNJ gives back to the community. The pictures come alive with music. I felt happy and joyful while I was watching it. People will be positively impacted by this touching video. More people will go to buy Johnson and Johnson products if they see what the company is doing for its consumers. 


I think johnson and Johnson makes good use of their website. There is a great deal to learn about the company, its products, and the community. Community is a big part of Johnson and Johnson. JNJ and its companies strive for educating about health to families, help infants and mothers, and support doctors and other leaders. They make a commitment to people by promising to make everyone healthier and safer. Viewers get a good feeling while browsing the company page and viewing the touching videos and stories. 


Johnson and Johnson is going a great job showing community support. I got the feeling like the company was all about serving the community. The repetitive use of the words community, giving, and health instilled in viewers heads jus what the company is all about. The website does a good job letting people know all of their efforts to help the community. However before I visited the website, I had no idea what JNJ does to show community support. Maybe college students like myself would be more aware if there were more information about JNJ's community relations on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. 

Media Relations

Johnson and Johnson with Media Relations

I am going to follow JNJ'c recall of the hip replacement systems. This issue is presently all over the news. There are many tweets and both online and broadcast news updates. 

Many TV stations covered the issue. CNN and The NY Times bring bad light to the issue by providing background information about the previous Tylenol recall. JNJ didn't need to use the media to publicize the issue because it was such a big topic that media outlets all over the world were contacted. There is a link in the NY Times article that brings readers to Depuy's statement. The first line of the website reads,"DePuy makes patient safety and health a top priority and is continually evaluating data about its products, including the ASR Hip System. The ASR Hip is one of many hip implants available from DePuy Orthopaedics. Most ASR hip replacement surgeries have been successful. However, data recently received by the company shows that more people than expected who received the ASR Hip System experienced pain and other symptoms that led to a second hip replacement surgery, called a revision surgery." I think this statement sounds sincere and accurate. There is an expression of concern by providing toll free helpline.

The company stays on topic with compassion and provides more information on how to get help, "We understand that many patients are concerned by this recall. There are many different brands of hip implants available and patients may not be aware of what brand of implant they have. DePuy Orthopaedics encourages patients to check with their surgeon or hospital to determine what brand of hip implant they have received." 

There is an announcement of the hip replacement recall on the Johnson and Johnson website. It stays positive by saying the majority of hip replacement surgeries have been successful but go to your surgeon anyway to check it out. It provides statistics and positive language to deflect the severity of the issue.The executive was quoted as saying, "“We regret that this recall will be concerning for patients, their family members and surgeons,” said David Floyd, president, DePuy Orthopaedics.  “We are committed to assisting patients and health care providers by providing information through multiple channels and paying for the cost of doctor visits, tests and procedures associated with the recall."  This statement from the president was needed. However, as discussed in class, a written statement can be an occasional shortcut. 

JNJ appears to be targeted by many law firms when searching this issue on Google. When I type in Johnson and Johnson recall, there should be a JNJ website that pops up explaining the situation. Instead, I found a separate company website that explains the situation at hand. Johnson and Johnson is quoted on the website as saying,"Industry giant Johnson & Johnson and its medical device subsidiary, DePuy Orthopaedics, has recalled two acetyabular cups hip replacement systems because of their high rate of failures and new data showing a higher number of patients needing a second hip replacement. The action follows extensive reports of hip replacement pain and failures from the defective products and asks for medical and orthopaedic surgeons to monitor their patients more closely." There are links that provide the readers with news and blogs about the issue. The law firm gives the toll free number to talk to an attorney right way for easy access. 


If I were the PR person in charge of dealing with this issue I would pay extra for the JNJ website to appear on the top of the Google list to provide customers with some information. The well designed law firm websites are deceiving and lead people to believe they need a lawyer for this issue. If this occurs, JNJ could take a hard hit. 

J&J's Health's Channel: ENGAGE 2010 - Health & Wellness Conference

J&J New Media

Johnson and Johnson successfully uses social media outlets. From blogs to videos, Johnson and Johnson is all over the Internet. 


One of the ways J& J uses social media is The Johnson and Johnson corporate blog. The JNJ BTW talks about the company and updates readers on health care news. In addition, they successfully drive traffic to the company website with over 90  YouTube videos and a separate website for the Johnson and Johnson's Health Channel. The videos promote a better understanding of health. The high quality videos look like J&J put a good deal of time and effort into them. There are many Facebook groups for different J & J concerns. The JNJ Facebook Group on health care systems is a community page where members share their passion and knowledge of the issue. It gives a link to Wikipedia for more information on health care. Because it is just one click away, people can easily access new information thanks to J&J! There is also an ADHD Facebook Page that Johnson and Johnson created to help moms better take care of their children with this special need. 


Johnson and Johnson's use of social media increases the publics' reliability of the brand. Because Johnson and Johnson has created online blogs, chats, and videos, people see J&J is mindful of many family struggles and people trust their products. They are reaching out to families and helping children with special needs by providing the public with new information. Johnson and Johnson successfully use social media to link new articles, post news videos, tag new photos, blog relevant information, and create helpful pages. Thus, I think they are doing a great job of informing the public through social media. They use more than one social media outlet to appeal to their target market (families). And now more and more families trust the Internet as a tool for advice. 


I found a blog titled Eye on FDE that talked about the issue of Johnson and Johnson using social media. There are some concerns with this conservative pharmacy industry using these new media outlets. People do not think it is appropriate for the company to use this new innovative tool of reaching the public. I liked this comment about the article, "I've heard a lot about JNJ's presence online. I find it interesting that their forward-thinking approach with online endeavors has so positively impacted my perception of their overall brand. JNJ BTW helps them appear to be more transparent then your traditional Pharma brand; and the YouTube page improves the perception of JNJ as committed to educating the public on important health issues. I work for a Pharma advertising agency and I wish more companies could appreciate that bravery here can result in important benefits to the company's overall brand." This shows how people do like the social media efforts put forth by the company. 


If I were the PR person for Johnson and Johnson, I would continue to promote the company's brand through the videos, Facebook groups, and blogs. It is informative and people enjoy hearing about the company. I think people trust the company knowing it puts out so much relevant information. I found it similar to the QU Polling institute and how people trust QU because they hear the name as a news source. People want to send their children to Quinnipiac because they trust the name. Go Bobcats! Thus, people may want to buy Johnson and Johnson products because they trust the brand. After watching the J&J videos, I was impressed by the large amount of helpful videos in its library. I mean who wouldn't trust a brand that makes videos to promote living a healthy lifestyle? Check them out, I bet there are some that relate to you! 

Corporate PR Blog Introduction

Corporate PR Blog Introduction

My Blog will be about the company Johnson and Johnson, the New Jersey-based multi-national manufacturers of many products such as pharmaceutical, diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical, and biotechnology products. I selected this company because Johnson and Johnson manufactures products to improve the quality of everyday life. From band aids and shower gels to over the counter medicines, Johnson and Johnson has a variety of health products creating a huge market. 


There are so many health products made by Johnson and Johnson that a consumer might not even know they are buying a J&J label. For example, I didn't know that J&J manufactured Splenda! In fact, they produce a whole line of nutritionals such as Splenda, Lactaid, and Viactiv. The list of products goes on and on! Johnson and Johnson talks about their products, "Creating meaningful innovation in health care within the Consumer business franchise relies on a research strategy equally rooted in technology and consumer insights, in keeping with our vision: BRINGING SCIENCE TO THE ART OF HEALTHY LIVING™."visit the website of J&J to see the list of products--you won't believe it! 


Manufacturing so many products cannot be a walk in the park. There are some issues with J&J that occur from time to time. The latest issue with Johnson and Johnson was the recall of two hip aid systems at the end of August 2010. More people were in pain due to the hip products and had to follow up with surgery. Unfortunately, a CNN article affirmed another problem with J&J previous to the hip aid recall that same week. CNN reported that the FDA issued a warning to J&J for selling hip and joint products without the agency's approval. These incidents make the company look deceitful and not dependable. The reputation of the company depends on the satisfaction of the consumers....Right now there are many that are not happy. 


Dealing with the intense FDA investigations and consumer complaints, Johnson and Johnson said consumers can contact the JNJ helpline and they advise patients who received the hip systems to go to their surgeon for additional tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the implant. This is a positive way of dealing with the problem. Instead of placing blame on others or denying the issue, Johnson and Johnson are trying to offer help. 

As for improving the companies reputation, J&J PR reps better watch out for this one! On the left is 30-year old heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune who is said to have had drug problems. I mean we cant expect much more from the daughter of a major pharmaceutical company! 


The PR practitioners for J&J face many challenges (besides the heir to the throne). There are so many products manufactured by this company that it is difficult to keep tabs on all of them as far as media publicity. This could also be looked at as a good opportunity for PR people because of the mass production of products, there are more circumstances to shine. For example, if Tylenol is recalled, then the PR person can minimize the negative with another J&J product that is doing well. I think the website does a great job of portraying a new message and theme of helping moms and children. J&J looks like they care about their consumers with the featured stories, the affectionate red color of the banner, and the sympathetic photographs on the website.