Day Three: Two for one (Part 1)

If we didn't think we were tired going into day three, we surely knew by the end of the day we were in a foreign country. We were scheduled to meet with not one, but two companies--Johnson & Johnson and Nestle. J&J made a fantastic presentation as half of the presentation was dedicated to the Turkish culture and business philosophy and the other half focussed on their roll out of Johnson Baby's Bedtime product.

Most shocking revelations about the Turkish culture:

• Over 70% of the country is under the age of 40


• Average Turk brushes their teeth and showers 1.5 times per week


• 17th largest country by pop., but 67th in GDP per capita


• 75% of the retail channels are comprised of stores with less than 50 sq. ft.


• 42% of an average grocery bill is spent on tobacco products--primarily cigarettes

"Dude John...man....you are like totally on it."--KMC

This provides you with some insight into the challenges that companies face when marketing products to the Turkish population. J&J had a similar story to P&G in that brand building was not the primary concern--educating the customer is the primary concern. In the U.S. we take for granted the process of giving a baby a bath. However, Turkish mothers have a process all their own and the use of product is not typically considered--most use a very standard baby shampoo for all cleaning purposes. However, J&J is trying to roll out the Johnson's Bedtime product, which is to be applied after a bath to help the baby have a peaceful night sleep.

The problem was that mothers did not see a use for the product and could not figure out when they were suppose to use it. So instead of focusing its communication on the emotional benefits of the product, they designed a campaign around how and when to use the product. J&J scientists came up with the Bedtime sleep method for helping a baby get a good night's sleep.

1. Give baby a warm bath.

2. Gently massage the baby.

3. Apply Johnson's Bedtime before putting to bed.

Side note...I think some people on the trip tried this method to overcome jet lag. Can't confirm, but the next day everybody seemed to be in a much better mood. Question is who performed step 2? Jury is still out.

I found this interesting as it seems elementary. However, the same process has been used to educate the consumers on dental hygeine--how to brush you teeth is on the packaging of both toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Lesson is that you can't take for granted that your consumer will know how and when to use the product. J&J also designed a huge promotional campaign using the Turkish Oprah (not what you would imagine, think Mexican telenovela style actress). They were also bundling their products together to give mothers an entire bath/bedtime solution.

To top it off, they took us to lunch, which is always appreciated. It seemed like eight courses, but it was great and I would say that most thought it was one of the best meals of the trip. Best part was the brown sugar cake filled with ice cream--unbelievable.

One quick point--J&J in the U.S. talks about their Credo all of the time, but it didn't really sink in until you walk into their office in Turkey and the first thing you see on the wall is the Credo in both English and Turkish.