Yet, the benefits of the technique above could have turned into disadvantages if the spokesperson lost his temper, didn't know what to answer or provided details that shouldn't have reached the media. Fourthly, the corporation established non-stop toll-free numbers. These offered two major benefits: the softening of the corporate image (PepsiCo appeared as an entity open to dialogue and concerned about the safety of its consumers) and the permanent feedback provided by consumers. Yet, the main drawback is that some joking callers could use a false identity and report untrue events just to put the company on the wrong track and make it lose time. However, benefits are heavier than drawbacks, in this case.

Fifthly, the corporation used a slogan at the end of the crisis - "Pepsi is pleased to announce...nothing." This was a witty remark suggesting that the company remained the producer of the same qualitative beverage and that the crisis created by outside sources was over.

In addition to all these, the PR department could have placed some posters in retail stores during the crisis for recommending people to pour the liquid into a recipient before drinking it (this tool has been already discussed within the framework of the previous chapter).

New technologies and globalization

If the crisis were to occur nowadays, a website would be compulsory. As the Internet has become almost a mass medium due to its more than one billion users worldwide (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm),PepsiCo should build an easy-to-update website (or a crisis center within the framework of the existing one) providing a FAQ list, a chronology of events, Internet links to other useful sites,...

Moreover, the company could use the Internet for finding out about consumers' opinions through forums, blogs and so forth (Richardson, 2006). For instance, YouTube (a site acquired by Google in 2006 which displays music, movie and amateur clips) could be an important information provider as posters tend to use their personal camera for recording various incidents with which they are confronted.
On the other hand, due to globalization, the outcome of such a case might be different. Thus, the panic wouldn't remain exclusively on the U.S. territory but it could also be shared by consumers worldwide. Additionally, thanks to global communication, such incidents not only spread the fear of encountering foreign objects in the Pepsi cans, for instance, but can also give ideas to those wishing to 'sabotage' the company's products from their own country.

To conclude with, PepsiCo should build scenarios and corresponding management plans that can be effective antidotes for a crisis breaking in the contemporary Internet and globalization era.

Bibliography

1. Gordon, K.T. (2001). Under Fire - How a Small Business Can Handle a PR Problem. On the Internet at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_4_29/ai_73121444.Retrieved July 6, 2007.

2. Richardson, K. (2006). Public Relations in a Crisis: How to Make the Web Work for You. On the Internet at: www.sideroad.com/Public_Relations/public_relations_crisis.html. Retrieved July 6.

3. Internet Usage Statistics - the Big Picture (2007). On the Internet at: www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm. Retrieved July 6.