Position Paper #1 Crisis Public Relations
More often than not companies, individuals, and brands have faced a crisis in their respective fields and try to accompany for the backlash and negative publicity. In some cases the crisis can help or hurt their business or overall bring more attention and buzz to them. It specifically depends on what the crisis entails. Businesses usually can recover from a crisis if their PR plays the cards right or could salvage their business for good. It starts from the response and what they can do to make up for the mistake. In some cases the damage has already been done. Scandals, controversy, and lawsuits are a big factor dealing with crisis public relations.
Companies and brands are not only ones who take a major hit but also individuals as well. Individuals such as athletes, celebrities, artists, and politicians have been in a crisis dealing with scandals or controversy. Individuals have been dropped from labels, brands, or endorsements for the mistakes or comments they have made. The thing that holds their career in place is whether they have a good PR team to help them bounce back or they genuinely are regretful or sorry for their actions. Overall, it relies on if the public is willing to look past these companies and brands' errors. Speaking of crisis public relations, I do not know if the public will continue to use or defend these companies' slipups any longer. The company I am referring to is Johnson and Johnson. Johnson and Johnson for years has alot of things go wrong with their products. One of the first starting out with their baby powder. Back in 2017, Johnson and Johnson was faced with their first set of lawsuits of contaminated talcum baby powder.
In that year, Johnson and Johnson was met with criticism for having known that their baby powder was laced with asbestos. Asbestos put into a simpler term is a heat-resistant fibrous silicate mineral that can be woven into fabrics, and is used in fire-resistant and insulating materials such as brake linings. The use of asbestos became increasingly widespread toward the end of the 19th century when its diverse applications included fire-retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes and fireplace cement, heat-, fire-, and acid-resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, and flooring (Asbestos Wiki). Asbestos is basically used for things pertaining to housing and appliances. As you know Johnson and Johnson baby powder uses talc which has been linked to having laces of asbestos for years.
The lawsuits arise whether or not Johnson and Johnson knew about their baby powder having traces of asbestos inside. Anything involving asbestos could lead to mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of your internal organs. Mesothelioma is an aggressive and deadly form of cancer (Mayo Clinic). Johnson & Johnson has always publicly denied its talcum powder products cause cancer, much like many other companies accused of using asbestos in their products. However, documents unsealed in 2017 revealed J&J company executives were aware of asbestos liabilities as early as the 1970s. Company reports highlighted the need to suppress concerns over asbestos contamination at talc mines in Vermont and Italy. And despite some J&J staff considering a switch of baby powder’s main ingredient from talc to corn starch to avoid liability, the company never stopped selling talcum powder (J&J Mesothelioma Controversy).
Asbestos Talc Lawsuits and News Involving Johnson & Johnson
2021
February
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson set aside $3.9 billion for talc-related litigation, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington D.C.
2019
October
Retailers throughout the U.S. pulled J&J’s talc-based baby powder from shelves after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found asbestos in one of the containers. The container was part of a 33,000-bottle batch that the company voluntarily recalled on Oct. 18, 2019.
2017
October
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/14/jj-kept-a-guiding-hand-on-talc-safety-research.html
Evidence in a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson showed the company had known its talcum powder products contained asbestos since the early 1970s. J&J trained its employees to reassure the public that its products were never contaminated. The lawsuit was filed by more than 50 women with ovarian cancer in St. Louis (J&J Lawsuit Cases). Johnson and Johnson allegations of their baby powder containing lethal and hazardous material wasn't enough, their recent lawsuit just landed them in more hot water. Johnson and Johnson is home to brands like Neutrogena and Aveeno that have just announced this year they are recalling some of Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens.
In May, independent pharmaceutical testing company Valisure found that 78 lots of sunscreens and sun care products contained benzene, a known carcinogen that has been linked to blood cancer and other illnesses. Forty products were found to have "significantly detected" levels of benzene out of the 78 lots. In response, Johnson and Johnson announced on July 14 that it was voluntarily recalling select Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol spray sunscreens "out of an abundance of caution. Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreen, and Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen (Cnet). This is Johnson and Johnson third controversy including earlier this year that Janssen Covid-19 vaccine which is owned by Johnson and Johnson had to cease administering vaccines for a while because of cases of rare blood clot disorders. No known legal lawsuits have been filed but class action have taken course. Class action lawsuits stem from Johnson and Johnson that listed benzene as a potential ingredient found in their sunscreens and misled the public in thinking the sunscreen was clear of any harmful component.
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