The situation

Resting on its long legacy as a good corporate citizen was not enough. Johnson & Johnson entered a new era with ambitious 2020 sustainability and citizenship goals. To achieve these goals, company leaders knew they had to inspire employees to get on board and take action. But first, employees had to understand the company’s new worldview for sustainability—and embrace their role in the journey.

What we did

We created a new worldview for J&J around the idea that “Better health is everywhere” to connect its brand mission around improving the health of people worldwide to sustainability. The story framework and messaging not only helped make the goals more accessible for employees but also opened up a new thought-leadership space for J&J to claim. This link between the health of people and the health of the planet is becoming a widely shared company vision.

What happened next

• Testing found that audiences rated J&J’s 2020 goals messaging higher than competitors’.
• CEO Alex Gorsky and other senior executives wove messaging into presentations.
• Employees from the ground up rallied around the new story.