David Retherford Tim Hill

Looking After Others

April 10, 2019
A. Introduction and Summary
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is considered one of the greatest basketball players in
history. His performance both on-court as a player and off-court as a valuable spokes-
ambassador has earned him many high-profile brand endorsements. Johnson is
considered a sports icon by the American people and is greatly respected. When the news
came on November 7, 1991 that Johnson had the highly stigmatized HIV virus, it left
many scratching their heads and concerned.

B. Statement of the Problem

a. Johnson has publicly announced that he has HIV.
i. Symptoms:
1. Johnson will be retiring from basketball immediately.
2. He wants to educate young people on the virus.
3. Marketing executives have criticized Johnson.
4. While some marketing executives have criticized Johnson, other have
stood behind him.
ii. Root Causes:
1. Johnson made unsafe decisions in his career.
2. Because the concept of HIV is still relatively new, Johnson did not know
the potential safety risk of HIV and how it was contracted.
3. Johnson believed it was the best decision to publicly announce his health
status.
iii. Johnson’s endorsers must decide how to proceed with their support of him.

C. Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions

a. An effective solution will pursue the best interests for the companies and their
stakeholders that endorse Johnson.
b. Alternative Solutions:
i. Companies can choose to cut all ties to Johnson when contracts are up.
ii. Companies can choose to support Johnson in his efforts to raise
awareness for HIV and AIDs.
iii. Companies can choose to remain silent on the issue and continue
normal relations with Johnson as if nothing happened.

D. Recommended Solution
a. Recommendation
i. Companies can choose to support Johnson in his efforts to raise awareness
for HIV and AIDs.
b. Reason for recommendation
i. By choosing to support Johnson in his new efforts, companies are showing
that they are not only committed to supporting their athletes, but that they
are also committed in the fight to improve global health. This also
demonstrates that the companies are not just focused on profit and
corporate stakeholders, but that they are interested in the wellbeing of their
 consumers and local communities. This will likely bring in some new
customers for their support of bettering human health. Johnson has always
been an excellent spokesman and likely will be able to continue to grow
interest in the company in the long run. Johnson’s influence will also be
able to help educate individuals so they do not have to face his same
diagnosis.
c. Risks of the recommendation
i. Due to choosing to continue to support Johnson, companies may receive
backlash both in the forms of criticism and loss of sales.
d. Response to risks
i. To minimize potential risks, companies can explain why they have
continued to support Johnson and why education about HIV needs to be
supported. Companies can also continue to be at the forefront of
innovation in their market sector to show skeptics how different
viewpoints do not influence product development and quality. They can
also strategically hold promotional events to help boost sales if they are
lagging.