Innovating Iconic Brands

As a mother of seven, mommy blogger Christine Young tends to a good number of scrapes and cuts. “My kids bike, skateboard, climb trees and are always on the go, so there's always a scrape or cut or bruise,” says Christine, whose daughter and six sons range in age from 1 to 11.

When Christine treats her children's “owies,” she sings the “Always Squeeze Then Stick™” song from a TV commercial in which cheerful puppets sing about always using NEOSPORIN^® antibiotic ointment together with BAND-AID^® Brand Adhesive Bandages for minor wounds.

Across the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, iconic brands are using innovation to drive growth and meet consumer needs.

“It's catchy and gets stuck in our heads. We're singing it all day long,” Christine says.

MARKETING FOR TODAY'S CONSUMERS

Nearly 100 years old, BAND-AID^® Brand is one of the first Johnson & Johnson brands. The NEOSPORIN^® brand, which joined the Johnson & Johnson trademark portfolio in 2006 with the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare acquisition, has long represented the gold standard in antibiotic ointments.

“If any brands were naturally meant to be together, it's the NEOSPORIN^® and BAND-AID^® Brands,” says Susan Tang, Group Brand Director, U.S. Topical Health Care, Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies. After all, she notes, parents have trusted them for generations to care for their children, the products share the same store aisle and, when used together, provide exceptional wound care.

Yet only 2 percent of consumers use an antibiotic cream with a bandage, according to one study. To reinforce the message that the products should be used together, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. developed the “Always Squeeze Then Stick™” initiative and ran a commercial in English and Spanish. The campaign also brought fun activities and the commercial's brightly colored puppets to large events, including the Baby Buggy Bedtime Bash, a charity event attended by celebrity parents and children. And the initiative reached out to influential mommy and daddy bloggers, who spread the word through social media.

Christine, for example, who had used the two products together long before she became an ambassador for the campaign, promoted “Always Squeeze Then Stick™” through Twitter and at several parent blogger events. She hosted a video contest for her blog's readers and posted a video of her own family in Lincoln, Calif., dancing and singing the song.

“It appeals to a broader audience beyond just us moms,” Christine says. “My older kids are pretty good about helping to treat the younger kids. It's not just mom squeezing then sticking. It's the oldest siblings too.”