First things first, I worked at Johnson and Johnson. Particularly on Johnson’s baby which I am going to criticise in this post. I am aware of the implications – I think – but am still going to write about it. Because, if I were there, I would have looked at these things in much more detail and if necessary, corrected them. So, here it starts…
In October, we had the cutest little thing enter our family – a baby boy. And my interaction with the brand I used to handle, as a consumer, started. In less than a week, I realised that a number of things are going wrong for it – a lot of them are as a result of deliberate actions or in actions by the company and people involved.
Recommendation:
The first brand we hear about for the baby, from a source of authority, is not Johnson’s baby.
A day into the little one entering our lives and still in the maternity ward, the neonatologist / pediatrician visited. He spent the first few minutes thoroughly checking the baby and then comforting us that everything we felt worried about on the baby front – feeding, poo, pee, sneezing etc., – is normal. He then spent some time tutoring us on the do’s and don’ts especially around traditional practices of bath, massage etc., which went against our parents advise. Then just before he gently sold his future services, in a low voice he said, “use a gentle baby soap, Himalaya would be good.”
Trial generation:
A miserly and confused set of products given free (branded non-Johnson’s baby), for trial.
Years ago, I was responsible for identifying and customising a CRM software that was to engage parents right from the birth of the child (at a hospital) to a few years. The driving mechanism for data capture was a free gift kit that Johnson’s baby would give to every new mom in all participating hospitals. The CRM got killed and this program was diluted for various reasons that I will not go into here.
Imagine my surprise when I get a FirstCry.com branded kit (with some free Johnson’s baby products in it) along with a form which the hospital guest relations staff ensured I fill accurately and in full.
What’s more, you don’t get a sample of what I think is going to be the biggest driver of growth for Johnson’s baby in future – wipes – in it. It instead has a small ‘sample pack’ of MamyPoco wipes in it. What you get free from Johnson’s baby are a miserly and confused set of products – tiniest ‘salable’ packs of powder and soap. There is a badly placed ‘sample not for sale’ sticker on it which to me shows both the cheapness and commitment to sampling of the company! Then there is a liquid hair and body wash which I guess is placed as an after thought. I can’t think of why a soap and liquid wash from the same brand otherwise!
Since that form fill, I have 5 emails from FirstCry.com congratulating and cross selling multiple products. As far as Johnson’s baby goes, the sample packs are over and a number of its products are out of our lives (read why below). Johnson’s baby, you lost it big time here.
Distribution:
The first Johnson’s baby product I go shopping for, probably its biggest growth driver in future, is not available.
A few days into my life as a parent, having used up all the old wipes we had, as well as the free samples of wipes we get in the gift kit at the hospital, I run to the nearest chemist looking for the 80s pack of Johnson’s baby wipes. This chemist happens to be the biggest and busiest chemist in my neighbourhood where I never had an issue of not finding a product I was looking for. The attendant, who now recognises me very well thanks to the weekly trips I started making, shows me a 20s pack and says sheepishly, “sir, bade ka maal nahi aata (sir, we don’t get stock of the big one)”. In desperation, I take the biggest pack of wipes available with him – a 72 pull of Himalaya baby wipes – and leave.
Visibility:
I don’t see much of Johnson’s baby around me but a lot of competition
I don’t watch TV too much anymore – about 3-4 hours a month. So print, outdoor, digital and in-store are the avenues to reach me. I haven’t seen an appropriate Johnson’s baby or competitor message on these in the last 2 months.
What did catch my attention is that every child care room in Bengaluru airport is branded by Himalaya! I have been there at least 4 times in the last 2 months. I hope for Johnson’s baby’s sake that they haven’t done this kind of branding in other airports.
Packaging:
Try opening a new pack of Johnson’s baby with one hand (a crying baby is in the other) in 30 seconds or less!
I understand the background behind the precaution that Johnson’s baby takes on sealing the baby powder cap. Many don’t. But, I still think a non-perforated shrink sleeve as seal and then a paper sticker on top of the cap is really bad packaging design in this day and age. Try peeling the sleeve and paper and then rotating the cap to match the holes below with one hand with a shrieking baby in the other. You know what I am talking about.
My crib doesn’t end with baby powder, there is the badly sealed and packed baby wipes 80s pack to give it tough competition.
Product quality:
I (and some others I know) felt some competing products had better sensorials.
It might be a pure first use bias / perception issue, but I personally found Himalaya baby wipes much better than Johnson’s baby wipes. The fragrance was better (though it was stronger that what I wished for), it had a lot more of that liquidy lotion on it, it was smooth and thin and came out smoothly on a pull.
Then there is the curious case of my sister and mom-in-law… My sister-in-law is a pediatrician and she uses Himalaya products on her own baby because she finds them “better” (thus avoiding all confrontation with me, who she knows worked on the competitor brand). And my mom-in-law, having used Himalaya baby lotion on my niece, insisted we buy it because it wasn’t “as oily” as Johnson’s baby lotion.
I know I used quality in a very loose sense above. But, I think there are some product expectation vs. performance issues here. Call it overconfidence or a constraint, but I don’t recollect too many product performance researches on the brand done here in India.
The gifting fiasco:
What do you do when you are gifted a life time of (non Johnson’s) baby products?
Pass it on of course, and act as tacit endorsers to others!
Joking apart, some one gifted us really big packs of non Johnson’s baby products. So we are automatically out of using Johnson’s baby products for months. I didn’t ask them why they brought that particular brand given Johnson’s baby had gifting products at that exact price point. I guess that action is a manifestation of bigger problems on Johnson’s baby.
Reputation management:
“Many mums I know don’t use Johnson’s baby!”
The biggest of all, are the 3-5 year old news articles about Johnson’s baby still doing the rounds of social media and messenger apps.
One is about FDA in India suspending Johnson and Johnson’s license for making baby talcum powder due to carcinogenic substances being used for sterilisation. My wife got one in a all girls group she was in and showed it to me. The other one is an old international campaign aimed at eliminating formaldehydes (possible carcinogens) from cosmetics which listed a few Johnson’s baby products. Another friend of hers alluded to it adding, “Johnson’s baby is not used much in the United States anymore.”
The worrying thing is that these are forwarded to you by your friends – other new parents – with an advise not to use a particular brand. And the worst part is that none of these forwarders seem to remotely know the full story.
The above are some of the things I saw happening on ground and around me as a parent and I guess other parents are as well. I am also sure the brand manager on the other end is oblivious to a lot of these things.
I am not going into my favourite topic of communication on the brand. I have strong reservations on the TV, print and outdoor ads of Johnson’s baby. More about it in some other post…
