Johnson & Johnson India - synonymous with baby care and healthcare - and with many established brands in its repertoire, looks to engage with its target consumers on relevant platforms, with initiatives such as crowd-sourcing ideas from teenagers or even training rural women on the benefits of using sanitary napkins. Such methods have paid rich dividends, says Ganesh Bangalore, General Manager Marketing (Consumer) at Johnson & Johnson India
By Simran Sabherwal
What is the USP of Johnson & Johnson baby products that differentiates it from the competition?
Johnson’s Baby is a heritage yet contemporary brand built over 100 years of care and commitment to providing only the best. Our knowledge and understanding of what a baby and mother need, coupled with unparalleled knowledge about the science of baby care, enable us to consistently provide high-quality products. Each Johnson’s Baby product undergoes a stringent five-level safety and quality assurance procedure. For example, our baby shampoo ‘No More Tears’ does not sting the baby’s eyes, which is critical because their blink reflex is still underdeveloped; our Top-to-Toe wash is as mild as pure water and is therefore perfect for babies.
Q] Talking of the women’s health vertical, how do you position your communication for sanitary napkins in rural areas, where there might be a taboo on such topics?
Menstrual health and hygiene is one of the most important issues that needs to be addressed, both from an individual, as well as a wider public health perspective. Only about 15% of women in India use sanitary napkins because of a lack of awareness, access or affordability. Being a socially responsible brand, and also one of the oldest, Stayfree believes that it is time to change the situation faced by underprivileged girls and women in terms of sanitation and hygiene.
The penetration of sanitary napkins in India stands at an abysmal 15%. Our marketing strategy focuses on broadening the access of women in Tier-II and rural India to sanitary napkins. For example, in Rae Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), Stayfree is training village women to educate other women and girls about menstruation and sanitary hygiene under the ‘Project Jyot’ social marketing initiative.
Q] Tell us about your social initiative ‘ Stayfree Women for Change’.
The Stayfree Women for Change initiative is working towards bridging the gap between Indian women of two contrasting worlds. Stayfree supports UNICEF and other institutions that work for the upliftment of marginalized women across the country. The initiative aims for a healthy, hygienic life for every girl and woman through health education, training and access to health and hygiene amenities.
The ‘Support a Woman’ programme under Stayfree Women for Change enables women from privileged backgrounds to help underprivileged women fight anaemia by providing medical check-ups, haemoglobin estimation tests and iron–folic acid and calcium tablets for a period of three months.
Our tie-up with UNICEF is a one-of-a-kind partnership wherein Stayfree donates one percent of its half-yearly sales to UNICEF. The funds are used to educate adolescent girls on menstrual health and hygiene in Bihar and Jharkhand. This initiative has so far helped over 1 million girls across India to access sanitary napkins and has empowered them to live a healthy and hygienic life.
Q] How do you handle the intense competition and emergence of other strong brands in the sanitary napkin space?
Emergence of other large players is good for the category. With more entrants, we expect there to be more awareness about the need for better hygiene. We expect the sanitary napkin category to grow at approximately 20% for the next 4-5 years. So there is still ample scope to build the market and for the emergence of multiple players.
Q] What are the fundamental principles of Clean & Clear’s marketing strategy?
Clean and Clear provides skin care solutions for teenagers by way of oil and acne fighting cleansers, blackhead removal scrubs and light moisturisers. From the perspective of the brand messaging, the attempt is to create a bond with teenagers. Our biggest achievement has been our ability to keep pace with the changing times and values of the Indian teenage girl. A lot of research and care goes into the packaging and product formats. We also focus on skincare education for teenagers through empowering messaging that builds their confidence. Our overall strategy is to be present on platforms where teens are like social media and TV, and engage them with relevant content while we talk about our products and categories. We use Facebook and YouTube to engage with our consumers regularly. For example, while formulating content for our Foaming Face Wash, we observed that there was a massive selfie trend exploding online. So we decided to provide a platform on our Facebook page where teens could showcase their confidence by uploading selfies on their first day at college. The response was great because it made a product proposition relevant and interesting for teens. We are just about scratching the surface and there is a lot more we can do in this fast evolving space.
Q] What is the proposition and insight behind the ‘See the Real Me’ campaign?
The brand’s new philosophy of ‘See the Real Me’ aims to reach out to teenage girls to inspire them to celebrate what makes them different and ask them to encourage each other to join the movement. The campaign is being promoted on a global scale and the new TVC is the first step in disseminating the new message in India. The TVC features everyday girls, who have been street-casted for this ad, instead of using actors and models.
Q] You also used crowd-sourcing for the ‘Don’t just get up, wake up’ campaign. How did this engage consumers and help maintain your edge in the competitive face wash/care segment?
When Clean & Clear entered the skincare market in 2009, the space was cluttered with products that claimed to have various benefits due to their ‘natural’ appeal. We wanted to communicate our strength clearly and break the clutter through our fruit-based facial cleanser. The idea was to present a face wash that doesn’t just cleanse your skin, but wakes it up and gets it ready for the day. We sought to engage our target consumers by crowdsourcing the idea for the next generation of Morning Energy commercials. Crowdsourcing has helped the brand connect with the target audience in real time by taking their ideas and turning them into advertisements.
In January, the brand tied up with crowdsourcing experts Talenthouse and invited video entries on ‘How to wake up your best friend’. The winning entries were made into the current advertisements for the brand.
Q] Which category provides the maximum traction? Looking ahead which categories are you betting on?
Johnson’s Baby is of course our flagship brand and in many ways Johnson & Johnson is synonymous with baby care in India. We have largely built the category on our own, setting the standards for a scientific baby care regimen.
The other category that is greatly under-tapped is sanitary hygiene, which is growing at a rate of over 20% annually. The penetration of women’s sanitary products is still very low due to a lack of access and awareness. In India, skincare too has great potential. It is a nascent category but is picking up quickly, especially in metros and towns. The face wash category growth has been 15% YoY.
About The Brand
With $71.3 billion in 2013 sales, Johnson & Johnson, through its family of companies, is the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical devices and diagnostics markets. Johnson & Johnson entered India in 1947, marketing Johnson’s Baby Powder, which was manufactured by a local company in Mumbai. Production began in 1959 from the first Johnson & Johnson plant at Mulund, Mumbai. Registered in September 1957 as Johnson & Johnson Limited, the company today employs more than 3000 people and the businesses span Consumer, Medical Devices & Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals segments.
Marketing Tip
Evolve with your target audience. The basics of marketing do not change, understand consumers to gain insights and use innovative ideas to capture their attention. Build an emotional connect and relationships with consumers
Facts
Creative agency – DDB Mudra West
Media agency – OMD
Social and digital media marketing agency – Lbi Digitas
PR agency – The PRactice
CMO File
Ganesh Bangalore is General Manager-Marketing for the Johnson & Johnson Consumer India Business. He joined the company in 1999 after graduating from IIM, Calcutta. Over the years, he has worked across several roles in Marketing and Sales. In his last stint as General Marketing Manager for the Skin Care Franchise, the Skin Care business grew ahead of competition to help Johnson & Johnson become the 4th largest beauty company in India. Bangalore is known as a collaborative team player with an ability to connect actively within the organization. He was instrumental in shaping the future strategy of the business, while leading the Strategic Planning sessions for the organization.
