Rhetorical Analysis On Merck

As a result of worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx, Merck faced a serious public relations crisis in the fall of 2004. Pharmaceutical giant’s officials were forced to defend company’s actions, its motivation for those actions, and its reputation after several articles, negatively reflecting on Merck’s behavior handling the Vioxx case, had been published. As an initial response to Vioxx crisis, the company released “An Open Letter from Merck” and “For 100 years, patients first” in attempt at a positive rebuttal. These open letters try to counter the negative press by using the following three strategies: utilization of Aristotelian view of rhetoric as a persuasion technique by building ethos with the readers; precise wording choices that emphasize
Merck’s open letters employ Aristotle’s idea of rhetoric by building appeal with the reader based on three foundations of ethos: wisdom, virtue and goodwill. This strategy is used in attempt to establish credibility and refute The Lancet claim that pharmaceutical giant “acted out of ruthless, shortsighted, and irresponsible self-interest” in Vioxx case. At first, the both documents try to establish Merck’s good judgment and knowledge by insisting the company conforms to ”scientific discipline and transparency”, performs ”rigorous scientific investigation” and brings “new medicines to patients who need them”. In addition, the “Open Letter” argues that as soon as data confirming the increased risks of Vioxx became available, the pharmaceutical giant “acted promptly and made the decision to voluntary withdraw” the drug. The letters further develop ethos with the audience by demonstrating Merck’s history of doing the right thing: “For more than 100 years,” the company “has produced life-saving benefits for countless
The utilization of personal pronouns “we” personalizes Merck: the voice of CEO Gilmartin replaces impersonal corporation, which creates rapport with the audience and aids in establishing credibility. Clarity of the letters and concise English convey confident tone. The first two paragraphs of the “Open Letter” end with “answer… in a straightforward way” and “set the record straight” in attempt to highlight Merck’s intent to address any concerns and correct inaccurate information. By using such paragraph emphasis, the company is asking the audience to consider its side of the situation, while proving its ongoing pledge to honesty and transparency, thus re-establishing goodwill with its