Project brief: The Johnson & Johnson RED CROSS first-aid line of products had been experiencing weak sales, specifically losing share to private labels. We felt that a primary challenge to the brand was the lack of brand equity. The name Johnson & Johnson is associated with either the corporation or baby products; RED CROSS is associated with the American Red Cross (regardless of our trademark); and first aid is a category, not a brand. In other words, there was no “brand.”

Approach: Our primary objective in redesigning J&J’s oldest brand was to leverage the equities we had into something unique and ownable. We achieved this in two major ways. First we combined the Johnson & Johnson and RED CROSS logos, marrying both their visual and emotional equities and placing the new logo front and center on the package. Secondly, we surrounded the logo with beautiful, clean imagery to communicate the superior quality of our product over the competitor. Additionally, we cleaned up the typography and made the side panels red to achieve a greater visual impact on the shelf.

Effectiveness: The redesign is considered a resounding success by management because sales are not only not down but also are going up; by our retail partners because they are enthusiastic about the brand; and by consumers because now they can find the brand on storee shelves and more clearly understand the value.

They leveraged the equities of J&J’s oldest brand into something unique and ownable.