Don Marti

Tue 11 Feb 2014 06:41:15 AM PST

Tylenol

The last time one of my kids was sick, I gave her some Children's Tylenol.

Yes, Tylenol is still a thing. Even after the infamous Tylenol poisonings.

Why?

Johnson and Johnson, the brand's owner, recalled all the existing Tylenol, started a campaign to tell people not to take it, and, most important, fixed some key security problems.

Bottle seals are expensive.

Redesigning an openable capsule into a solid, coated caplet is even more expensive.

But the company did it. Today, the Tylenol story is the classic business-school example of how to save a product that has a severe security flaw. And I'm giving the stuff to my kids.

Today is supposed to be "#StopTheNSA" day. I'm just glad that the people who came up with that weren't in charge during the Tylenol crisis. Tylenol would have sponsored a big, attention-getting "#StopTheFBI" day, while customers quietly swore off the stuff.

Bonus link: Will the cloud divide America and Europe? by Rajesh Ram