Big Idea, Big Payoff

ADVERTISING, DISTRIBUTION, & SALES

A trusted and widely used brand, the Ethicon name is synonymous with suture. However, the company's competitors are continually improving their products, and newer technologies—from staples to topical adhesives—threaten the market share of Ethicon Inc. (Somerville, NJ), a Johnson & Johnson company.

Seeking to protect its franchise, the company turned its attention to the skyrocketing popularity of gastric bypass surgery. During these procedures, patients require extensive plastic surgery—and enormous quantities of sutures—to rid them of the excess skin the bypass leaves behind.

Despite its lack of a proprietary product, Ethicon wanted to reintroduce itself to plastic surgeons as the leader in this challenging procedure, known as massive weight loss body contouring. The company turned to marketing firm LehmanMillet (Boston) for help. In its research, LehmanMillet found that many surgeons dismiss the contouring procedure as little more than glorified tummy tucking. However, experienced practitioners recognized that the surgery is, in fact, inordinately complex. They also indicated that tending to the physical and psychological well-being of patients undergoing the procedure is truly a specialty unto itself.

In response, LehmanMillet developed "Shaping Futures," a campaign that brought together a network of plastic surgeons to share procedural techniques, patient-care concerns, and practice-building tips. The program represented a big idea that demanded commitment from Ethicon.

The commitment to the campaign has paid off. In the first six months, more than half of the identified pool of potential surgeons registered for the program, and sales of Ethicon's skin-closure suture climbed 20%.

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