Advertising: Trying to Burnish Its Image, Johnson & Johnson Turns to Emotions

The company’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit recalled more than 280 million packages of over the counter medications like Motrin, children’s Tylenol liquid and Benadryl in 2010, and the same year, its DePuy Orthopedics unit recalled two popular artificial hip replacement models.

About 10,000 lawsuits have been filed involving those artificial hip devices and while a Chicago jury this month rejected claims of wrongdoing by Johnson & Johnson in one suit, another lawsuit in March yielded a less favorable outcome when a Los Angeles jury ordered the company to pay more than $8.3 million in damages to a Montana man.

In the midst of that turmoil — and perhaps to distance itself from the bad press of product recalls and pending litigation — the company on Thursday is introducing its first corporate branding campaign in more than 10 years. The company will announce the campaign, called For All You Love, at its annual shareholder meeting in New Brunswick, N.J.

The cornerstone of the campaign, a 60-second black and white video, begins with a shot of a sleeping baby about to get a gentle kiss from its mother. In the background, a softer, almost childlike version of the Guns N’ Roses song, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” plays.

“Love,” says a woman’s voice. “It’s the most powerful thing on the planet.” Happy clips from everyday life — a father bathing with his baby, a grandfather playing piano with his granddaughter and a teacher playing with her students — are seen during the spot, as is the occasional Johnson & Johnson product like Band-Aids and baby shampoo.

“Love is family,” says the voice-over. “Love is the reason you care for the tiny and the fragile.”

The campaign was created by TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of TBWA Worldwide, a division of the Omnicom Group. It is the first time the agency has worked with Johnson & Johnson.

“This is the chance to reassert this very iconic brand to the world,” said Rob Schwartz, the global creative president of TBWA Worldwide. The creative team at the agency was inspired by a company statement produced in 1943 that highlighted its responsibility to its consumers, employees, communities and stockholders. Mr. Schwartz described the statement as “one of the best corporate documents ever.”

Based on that, the agency created a manifesto about love that will appear in print publications, including The New York Times and People magazine on May 10. Television commercials and digital ads will begin appearing on May 6 during shows like “Modern Family” on ABC, “The Voice” on NBC and “American Idol” on Fox, and on Web sites like abcnews.com. The videos feature real people and real relationships, not actors, Mr. Schwartz said. Subsequent videos for the campaign will also focus on the philanthropic work the company supports. The campaign is estimated to cost $20 million to $30 million through the end of the year.

While a Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman declined to comment on the company’s recalls or the lawsuits it faces, Michael Sneed, the company’s vice president for global corporate affairs, said the goal of the campaign was “to continue to reconnect with all of the people who come into contact with J.& J. in their daily lives.”

A campaign focused on love creates a sense of trust with the brand, said Kapil Bawa, a marketing professor at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York. “Corporate branding tries to instill a sense of trust in the company and for J.& J., given the kind of products it makes, that trust is very, very critical,” Mr. Bawa said.

Mr. Sneed agreed. “I do think people want to understand what’s behind the brand,” he said. “They want to understand what they value.”

Many brand campaigns of late have included a major emotional hook, including a Procter & Gamble campaign from last summer’s Olympics about mothers and their athlete children and a Dove campaign about a forensic sketch artist drawing women based on their own descriptions. “They are trying to humanize the corporate entity,” Mr. Bawa said. “That’s why emotion is so important.”

Emotion was also present at the ad agency table, Mr. Schwartz said. “The smell of the baby powder, the scent of the shampoo, everybody got very emotional just from our meetings,” he said. “This is a very emotional brand, so we’ve got to deliver a very emotional idea.”

Larry Johnson — Charged with Felony Domestic Violence

Larry Johnson
Charged
Felony Domestic Violence
Former NFL star Larry Johnson has been charged with felony domestic violence after allegedly strangling an ex-gf in Vegas last week, TMZ has learned.

According to the Clark County D.A., Larry was charged with one count of felony domestic battery stemming from the incident.

He faces a max of 5 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. FYI -- the fine for non-strangulation felony domestic battery is only $10,000.

As we previously reported, 32-year-old Johnson -- who once signed a $45 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs -- was arrested last week for the alleged attack inside the Bellagio hotel.

Johnson has denied the allegations.

Larry Johnson Police Report — ‘I’ll Rip Your F**king Vocal Cords Out’

Larry Johnson Police Report
'I'll Rip Your F**king Vocal Cords Out'

Former NFL superstar Larry Johnson threatened a hotel security guard who responded to a domestic violence incident -- telling the guy, "I'll rip your f*cking vocal cords out" ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ.

According to the report, the alleged victim identifies herself as Johnson's ex-girlfriend -- and told police LJ beat the crap out of her and strangled her until she blacked out early Friday morning inside of a room at the Bellagio Hotel.

The GF told police ... while Johnson was strangling her, she told him, "If you are going to kill me squeeze harder and just do it."

The GF says she then blacked out and lost consciousness.

As for why he attacked her in the first place, the woman told police she and Johnson had been partying and drinking together when they went up to his room to "catch up." But the GF claims LJ became enraged when they started talking about his daughter. She claims LJ snapped and began to "beat her and throw her around the room" and eventually choked her out.

According to the report, the GF told police she regained consciousness in a hotel hallway while dressed only in her underwear and a see-through blouse. The GF says she banged on doors until someone called for help.

Cops say the GF claims Johnson had attacked her multiple times in the past ... including a recent incident at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas.

According to the report, security quickly made contact with Johnson and brought him to the security office.

One of the security guards told police ... while he was in the office, Johnson bragged about being released from charges "last time" ... and then told one of the guards that he was going to "rip your f*cking vocal cords out."

According to the report, officers say the GF had multiple marks on her face and neck ... and Johnson had a small cut on his cheek and one on his lip.

LJ was eventually arrested for battery with strangulation. He is still in custody and is scheduled to be released at 5pm.

NBA Star Joe Johnson — Jeweler Billed Me $260k For Crap I Never Bought!

NBA Star Joe Johnson
Jeweler Billed Me $260k
For Crap I Never Bought! Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson insists ... he's no jewel thief -- and now, he's lashing back against a lawsuit that says he stole $125,000 worth of bling from an Atlanta diamond dealer.

Aydin & Company filed a lawsuit against Johnson earlier this month, claiming the NBA star entered into a purchase agreement back in October 2010 for $125,500 worth of jewelry.

The items in question -- a white gold watch with diamonds, diamond beaded bracelet, black diamond stud earrings and a white gold bezel set rosary.

According to the suit, Johnson took the swag, but never foot the bill -- so Aydin's suing for the price of the jewelry PLUS legal fees, PLUS interest (which grows at a monthly rate of 2%) ... for a grand total of $266,333.05.

But sources close to Johnson tell TMZ ... the lawsuit is total B.S -- explaining, the owner of the store asked Johnson to wear the items on loan and allowed him to return them when he was done.

But when Johnson tried to give the items back, we're told the jeweler refused and slapped him with the bill instead.

Sources tell us, Johnson NEVER agreed to purchase the items and has since tried to return them on numerous occasions -- but no cigar.

A judge has yet to rule on the lawsuit.