Johnson & Johnson – Johnson’s baby shampoo gentle conditioning formula & conditioner

How to successfully launch the first line extension to the company’s flagship brand

Challenge: While 72% of children under two years of age use Johnson’s baby shampoo (the highest penetration of any non-dandruff shampoo), only 19% of children 4 – 12 years old use the product. Three out of four users walk right out of the Johnson & Johnson franchise. Mothers and children were not giving up on the flagship J&J baby shampoo product, the product was giving up on them. It was not meeting the needs of older childrens’ hair (thicker, longer, straighter, curlier, cowlicks, etc.) leaving their hair uncontrollable and hard to comb. Additionally, children represent 16% of total shampoo and 9% of total conditioner category volume, a huge market opportunity.

Solution: Develop, test and introduce the first shampoo and conditioner made especially for children – – Johnson’s baby shampoo gentle conditioning formula and Johnson’s baby conditioner — targeted specifically for the hair care needs of children 4 – 12 years old. Create and implement a hard-hitting fully integrated marketing program to support the product introduction: consumer advertising (TV and print), sampling (in-mail and trial size floorstand displays), year-long consumer promotions with couponing (FSI’s, direct mail, magazines), on-pack samples, and aggressive trade promotions.

Rationale: Provide a shampoo that contains Johnson’s exclusive “No More Tears” formula plus conditioners to gently clean and condition for manageable hair, and additionally, a conditioner that detangles hair and rinses out clean to give hair a light touch of body and leave it easy to comb. They were just what kids (and their moms) need and want.

Results: Product performance: In paired comparison in-home blind use product testing, the new formulas out-performed the shampoo brands being used most often by children. The formulas were preferred for color, fragrance, cleansing properties, ability to keep hair manageable with a lustrous, shiny appearance and the ability to detangle hair and leave it easy to comb. BASES testing indicated 62% of households with children showed top two-box interest in trying the product and 87% top two-box purchase intent after usage. Product introduction generated over $33 million in incremental year one brand volume.

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