One advantage Pepsi had going into the syringe hoax was the company's broad experience working with the media on everything from new advertising and marketing efforts to financial and environmental issues.

A half-dozen PR managers worked daily with reporters and editors.  There are seven tactics they used throughout the syringe case.

1.    Assess the problem through the public's eyes.
       Take responsibility for getting the facts in a clear, reasonable way.
       Demonstrate that trust in you is well-placed.

2.     Speak with one voice.
        Don't comment off the cuff.  Be certain there is a single, unified voice.
        State the facts when you know them and be definitive.

3.     Communicate quickly.
        Be quick, be fresh and provide information as soon as it's available.
        When the issue is resolved, tell the public it's over.

4.     Keep your message simple.
        Too many facts can be overwhelming, especially when crammed into TV sound bites.
        Also think visually.  Show as well as tell.  Video is one of the top news-making tools
        today.

5.     Choose the right spokesperson.
        Pepsi President Craig Weatherup considered addressing the public during the syringe
        crisis "part of my job" even though he had never received formal media training.  During a
        crisis, consumers want to see where the buck stops.

6.     Use formats reporters use.  Distribute media-friendly tools.
        Make spoekespersons accessible to the media round the clock because news happens in
        real time.  It interrumpts programs or lands as a teaser for the 11 p.m. news.  Use tools
        media can use: video, diagrams, photos.  If you give the media tools they can use, you
        stand a much better chance of getting your message out than if you just issue a statement
        and let them fill in the blanks.

7.     Present the people, not the company.
        Nobody loves a company.  They love products and people.  The more you can
        personalize and involve people, the better.  "We concentrated on what consumers care
        about, the can of Pepsi on their hand, not some kind of assault on Pepsi's national name,"
        crisis coordinator Rebecca Madeira said.  "We also gave them as many opportunities as
        we could to see real people solving real problems."