J&J focuses on innovation to develop K-Y brand

"Innovation is key to the future success of brands,"​ said Tim Peterson, VP marketing at Johnson & Johnson​. "To promote this we have concentrated on products that differentiate and give consumers real benefits."​

To give a specific example of how this philosophy has been carried out at Johnson & Johnson, Peterson referred to the K-Y brand, one that has now been around for over eighty years.

During that time K-Y has become a household name, but until recently it has been associated with the one product - safe and reliable K-Y Brand Jelly. Used as a personal lubricant, the product has become synonimous as a simple no-nonsense aid for sexual pleasure and health.

Although the brand was well recognised, the marketing executives at J&J realised that it did not have any particularly dynamic associations. To spice things up, and to develop the brand further, the company decided to to try and find value-added product solutions.

The first addition to the portfolio, K-Y warming liquid, actually warms up upon contact with the skin. The product has been greeted with tremendous success and gave J&J reason to believe that there was even further potential to be tapped into.

In its research around the subject area, J&J discovered that 42 per cent of men and women had said that they had participated in a massage at some point in the last year. Considering this, the company went on to develop a lubricant that combines massage oils.

Launched in the US back in May this year, the company says that the five different aromas have all proved to a big success. And building on the success of the K-Y warming liquid, the company has now also launch a warming massage lubricant.

Although it is still early days, Peterson says that the launch of the new products under the KY brand has helped to significantly boost sales.

"These products have helped to increase margins and intamacy,"​ said Peterson.