pitch unfairly

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Johnson & Johnson, 1982. Pitched unfairly, 2026.

The public first, whatever it costs. Same story, same numbers. Rebuilt the way we'd pitch it today.

Template: Crisis communication

  • 7 lives lost
  • 31M bottles recalled
  • 3 seals
Play the 2026 deck Read the real story Steal the structure
1982 Crisis communication

Johnson & Johnson

The public first, whatever it costs.

Legend
Original craft
Unfair

The story→10 slides

It's a live deck. Press start, then scroll or use the arrow keys, or play it full screen.

Play the 2026 deck

Johnson & Johnson's crisis communication, slide by slide

Every slide opens the live deck right where it is.

  1. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 1: The public comes first, whatever it costs. 01The public comes first, whatever it costs.
  2. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 2: Seven people died from capsules poisoned after they left our plants. 02Seven people died from capsules poisoned after they left our plants.
  3. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 3: Every decision here starts with seven families. 03Every decision here starts with seven families.
  4. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 4: We recall every capsule bottle, nationwide, today. 04We recall every capsule bottle, nationwide, today.
  5. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 5: Our credo settled this in 1943. 05Our credo settled this in 1943.
  6. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 6: Five audiences, one set of facts, all told the same day. 06Five audiences, one set of facts, all told the same day.
  7. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 7: One voice for the company. Investigators speak for the case. 07One voice for the company. Investigators speak for the case.
  8. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 8: Six days from the first death to a national recall. 08Six days from the first death to a national recall.
  9. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 9: Three seals, so a tampered bottle looks tampered. 09Three seals, so a tampered bottle looks tampered.
  10. Johnson & Johnson deck, slide 10: We update on facts, never on guesses. 10We update on facts, never on guesses.

Then · 1982

How it really went

Read the real storythe Chicago Tylenol murders, via Wikipedia
  1. Sept. 29, 1982: Mary Kellerman, 12, dies after one Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule
  2. Six more people in the Chicago area die after taking capsules laced with potassium cyanide
  3. Sept. 30: James Burke, J&J's chairman, takes personal charge
  4. Oct. 1: tainted lots trace to two plants, so the poison went in on store shelves; Chicago lots are recalled
  5. J&J warns hospitals and distributors, halts production and ads, and posts a $100,000 reward
  6. Oct. 5: after a copycat attempt in California, a nationwide recall of about 31 million bottles
  7. The recalled bottles are worth more than $100 million at retail; J&J swaps capsules for tablets
  8. Nov. 5: the FDA requires tamper-evident packaging on over-the-counter drugs
  9. Nov. 11: Tylenol returns in a triple-sealed package, unveiled to reporters in 29 cities
  10. Oct. 1983: the Federal Anti-Tampering Act makes tampering a federal crime; the murders are never solved

Now · 2026 · 10 slides

What we changed

  • Facts, and the gaps, side by sideWhat we know sits next to what we don't, with the date on it, so nobody fills a gap with a guess.
  • One message per audienceClick the public, customers, employees, regulators or the press and see the message, the channel, the voice and the ask change while the facts stay put.
  • Six days, played in orderA dated timeline runs from the first death on September 29 to the national recall on October 5, one action at a time.
  • The seal assembles itselfFoil under the cap, a band over the neck, a glued box: the triple seal builds layer by layer, and each seal can be inspected on its own.

Steal the structure

Build your crisis communication like Johnson & Johnson did.

  1. 01 Principle Open on the one rule every decision in the crisis will follow.
  2. 02 What happened Facts only: what you know, what you don't yet, and the time you knew it.
  3. 03 People first Name who is affected, then what you are doing for each group, before any business impact.
  4. 04 The decision The action in one sentence, with its size, the reasons, and the cost you accept.
  5. 05 Why Tie the decision to a principle the company already held, not one written for the crisis.
  6. 06 Message matrix Each audience gets the same facts, with its own message, channel, voice and ask.
  7. 07 Who speaks One lead voice, a named owner for each topic, and what you will not speak to.
  8. 08 Timeline of actions Every action so far, dated, and what comes next.
  9. 09 Prevention The change that makes this harder to happen again, shown, not described.
  10. 10 Update rhythm When people will hear from you, what triggers an update, and when the next one is.

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