There are 2,000 people, many from prominent client organizations, currently gathered in Orlando for the 2012 Association of National Advertisers’ Masters of Marketing conference.
One client-side marketer of note, Kimberly Kadlec of Johnson & Johnson, said from the stage today, “We are responsible to connect with people in ways that are instructive and not disruptive.” That’s somewhat disruptive, to my mind. Refreshingly so.
According to Media Post, Kadlec also said, “We really can make connections that change the world.” Thankfully, she backed up that rhetoric with some seriously compelling facts.
Kadlec reported that J&J’s Discover Nursing campaign is one of the company’s most successful ever, creating an 83% awareness among nurses, nursing students and instructors. Best of all, enrollment at nursing schools rose 73%.
Like Bob Dylan says, “You gotta serve somebody.” In Dylan’s case, it’s a reference to God. In this case, it’s an indicator of what can happen when a brand successfully meets its customers’ needs, not just for products or services, but also for meaning.
To me, this is Relationship Marketing at its finest. J&J wants nurses “in the franchise” and is smart enough to not pitch, nor disrupt, nurses. Instead J&J woos nurses with a campaign focused on how hard dedicated nurses work to improve quality of life. Great stuff.
