Organizational Communication in Crisis of Diet Pepsi Syringe Scare
INTRODUCTION
In the 1993 incident of syringes were found in the Diet Pepsi cans, it is clearly showed that the company had demonstrated an effective halting from the company’s openness with the media. While dealing and handling with the crisis, the PR team of Pepsi focused on both their internal and external publics. It is important for an organization to have a strong internal communication as these internal publics helps to convince the external publics of the organization.
The internal publics of Pepsi were consists of the employees of Pepsi like executives, managers, stakeholders, and anyone that has a say in the production of Pepsi’s products whereas the external publics consists of the whole American population, competitors, FDA and the media. Communications among the internal publics were strong among them and the company directed an immediate disclosure of all facts (Anton, 2011). Internal communications is important in an organization as it helps to build bridges among the employers and employees. Besides it can also help them to deal better with their external public in whatever they are doing regardless of solving crisis or as a tool of communication with its public. Pepsi then targeted the external public differently and chose to focus on television as its media vehicle. Besides, they also took a firm stand and said no to product recall.
Alpac Bottling Company, the local canning and distributor of Diet Pepsi was one of the external publics that were involved with the crisis and Pepsi let the company to explain to the media that product tampering was merely impossible. Publics do not believe that the case is over and then a documentation video was released. Pepsi invited media to the production plant and film the process. This video then shows the process of the sodas and that the product was virtually tamper resistant. Other techniques used by the PR of Pepsi include 24 hours hotlines for consumers query and complaints, assigning a specialist to
In the 1993 incident of syringes were found in the Diet Pepsi cans, it is clearly showed that the company had demonstrated an effective halting from the company’s openness with the media. While dealing and handling with the crisis, the PR team of Pepsi focused on both their internal and external publics. It is important for an organization to have a strong internal communication as these internal publics helps to convince the external publics of the organization.
The internal publics of Pepsi were consists of the employees of Pepsi like executives, managers, stakeholders, and anyone that has a say in the production of Pepsi’s products whereas the external publics consists of the whole American population, competitors, FDA and the media. Communications among the internal publics were strong among them and the company directed an immediate disclosure of all facts (Anton, 2011). Internal communications is important in an organization as it helps to build bridges among the employers and employees. Besides it can also help them to deal better with their external public in whatever they are doing regardless of solving crisis or as a tool of communication with its public. Pepsi then targeted the external public differently and chose to focus on television as its media vehicle. Besides, they also took a firm stand and said no to product recall.
Alpac Bottling Company, the local canning and distributor of Diet Pepsi was one of the external publics that were involved with the crisis and Pepsi let the company to explain to the media that product tampering was merely impossible. Publics do not believe that the case is over and then a documentation video was released. Pepsi invited media to the production plant and film the process. This video then shows the process of the sodas and that the product was virtually tamper resistant. Other techniques used by the PR of Pepsi include 24 hours hotlines for consumers query and complaints, assigning a specialist to
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