Abstract

The caselet examines the syringe scare that Pepsi faced in 1993. The caselet elaborates on the measures taken by Pepsi’s crisis management team to overcome the crisis. The caselet also provides details on how the company effectively used the television and print media to communicate with concerned groups and stakeholders. The caselet gives insights into how Pepsi closely worked and cooperated with the FDA to identify the root cause of the crisis and maintain a positive corporate image.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Importance of an effective crisis commu-nications plan
• Steps to implement a public relations strategy
• Use of mass media in crisis management
• and Regulatory issues in marketing beverages.

Keywords

FDA, Video News Releases, Craig Weatherup, PepsiCo, Contamination, Diet Pepsi, Employee Bulletins, Crisis Management Team, ABC Network, David Kessler, FBI, Company’s Image, Media relations managers and Communication center