The Painkiller vs. The President

President Trump has simply given Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, an almighty headache. Citing an unsubstantiated hyperlink to autism, the President made world headlines Monday by discouraging pregnant ladies from utilizing the drug. Describing the state of affairs as a “horrible, horrible disaster” and Tylenol as “not good,” Trump outlined plans to restrict the drug’s future indications.  Medical consultants and world well being authorities have roundly rejected the declare, insisting that acetaminophen—the generic identify for Tylenol—stays a protected and important therapy for pregnant ladies. However the fallout noticed Kenvue, which additionally manufactures different staples like BAND-AID and Listerine, scrambling to reply as its share value dropped by virtually 10% after Monday’s announcement.It’s been widespread lately to quote all publicity as one way or the other good for model constructing and gross sales. “Hey,” goes the inane argument, “not less than individuals are speaking about us, proper?”However whereas it’s definitely true that entrepreneurs have usually overstated the perils of adverse media protection and the odd inconsistent second, there is no such thing as a doubt that sure crises can certainly harm model fairness and critically harm gross sales. Monday’s occasions are proper up there on the ache index.Certainly, it’s exhausting to conceive of a much bigger or extra probably damaging second. The criticism comes from essentially the most highly effective particular person within the nation. One who instructions world headlines each time he speaks and who resorts to excessive positions when he does. The criticism can also be peculiarly focused on the model, not the class. President Trump, who struggled to pronounce acetaminophen on Monday, targeted on the Tylenol model as an alternative and identify checked it eight occasions. After which there may be the direct contradiction of a model constructed on protected, trusted ache reduction abruptly declared a harmful, dangerous explanation for one in every of America’s most mysterious situations. Remarkably, this isn’t Tylenol’s first existential disaster. In 1982, seven Chicagoans died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol, triggering mass panic and a near-total collapse in shopper confidence. Johnson & Johnson, then Tylenol’s mum or dad, undertook what’s now considered the textbook response: pulling 31 million bottles off cabinets, halting all promoting, partaking the media with candor, and introducing tamper-proof packaging.It grew to become the traditional playbook for contemporary disaster administration—swift motion, radical transparency, and shopper security prioritized over value. Inside a yr, Tylenol’s market share recovered fully, and the corporate’s repute soared as an exemplar of company ethics. The corporate constructed the model from its response to the disaster. We will now count on a panic of disaster managers (sure, that’s the official time period) quoting the occasions of 1982 and recommending that Tylenol as soon as once more take motion instantly to acknowledge the issue and both counter or adjust to the President’s claims.However 2025 isn’t 1982. And medical misinformation from a politically motivated president isn’t the identical as product tampering and buyer fatalities.Too usually, model technique is performed at breakneck velocity, overly-focused on motion and response. That’s not at all times clever. In spite of everything, technique, in response to Michael Porter, is the artwork of deciding what to not do. If you break down case research instructing MBA college students, it’s crucial to complement all the scholars’ frenzied options with a remaining oft-forgotten possibility of doing nothing. That is nonetheless a strategic selection. And sometimes the good one.Take into account the benefits of inertia. Trump’s declare is so at odds with the scientific consensus, and so clearly political, that any direct engagement dangers inadvertently elevating the controversy. Tylenol is just not in possession of latest data; all earlier research have been reviewed advert nauseam by regulators worldwide. The medical institution, educational group, and worldwide well being businesses have already spoken in unison to debunk the assertion. A recent assertion from Tylenol would possible solely refresh and legitimize a baseless information cycle.If Tylenol performs together with the President, it may create a stigma within the thoughts of American customers for a lifetime. Resisting the claims with knowledge dangers infuriating a president who, because of his mentor Roy Cohn, rewards resistance with a ten-fold escalation. Historical past teaches entrepreneurs that trendy crises should not at all times finest managed with quick motion, no matter the generic recommendation of disaster administration gurus who play each disaster the identical approach. Generally, letting the consultants—and time—do the work is simpler, particularly when a model’s security document is long-established and the accusation at hand is patently unscientific. By holding the road and letting the flurry of concern expend itself, Tylenol stands to remind customers of the boring energy of experience, not panic.Generally, silence is just not weak spot however knowledge. And inaction doesn’t at all times signify laziness or uncertainty. In an ironic twist: the bravest, wisest course for Tylenol might be to endure the ache in silence.Enroll right here for Mark Ritson’s MiniMBA in Advertising, a ten-week coaching program for senior managers who missed or have forgotten their advertising and marketing fundamentals.