Pepsi Case

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that in the situation in which syringes and various other foreign objects were found in the Diet Pepsi can, the corporation was exceptionally effective in their communication with all intended publics. The writer notes that Pepsi knew they had to have support from outside sources such as the FDA and the media to support the idea that the foreign objects could only have been placed in the cans after the consumer had opened them. The writer points out that Pepsi very effectively handled the media and the consumers and was able to turn a large amount of negative publicity into a tool for saving company market share. The writer concludes that Pepsi acted efficiently and with minimal financial cost to the company and saved their market share and company reputation all due to good planning and quick thinking.

Outline:
The External Publics
The Internal Public
Public Relations Tools

From the Paper:

"The internal public in this case would be the staff of Pepsi and the media as well. Internal public relations focus on ways to keep a positive attitude among the staff members. In a way, the media can be considered both internal and external but in this case, Pepsi had to bring the media in to change it from being a sensational story on the news and instead reporting information that can work to the advantage of the company. Pepsi was able to do this by opening its bottling facility to the media. It was not enough that the FDA had been able to determine that the bottling line ran far to quickly for anyone to place a foreign object in the can before it was sealed. Pepsi essentially invited the media to be a part of their internal machine and used the media effectively to their advantage to get the message out that it was likely the foreign objects had been placed in the cans after the consumers had opened them. This did much to serve the internal public of the staff as well."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hendrix, Jerry A. Public Relations Cases. 2001, Wadsworth. Belmont, CA. Pages: 67-75, 115-123, 246-262, 295-305, 432- 441.

More papers on Pepsi Case:

• Case Study # 71778 : "Pepsi Public Relations "
• Case Study # 73140 : "Pepsi Blue"
• Case Study # 121582 : "PepsiCo Case Study"

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