• by Paul Gough , February 6, 2003

Johnson & Johnson and Discovery Networks announced a yearlong deal that stretches across the cable giant’s properties and features the pharmaceutical company’s family-oriented products.

Cable properties include Discovery, TLC, Discovery Health Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel. Products advertised include Johnson’s Bedtime Bath, Johnson’s Gentle Cleaning Cloths, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Children’s Tylenol Simply Stuffy, Simply Cough and Motrin.

The partnership kicks off Feb. 17, when Discovery Health broadcasts a 10-hour anchored special featuring live births from hospitals throughout the United States and the world. Johnson & Johnson will be identified as the sponsor throughout the special coverage and its products will be integrated into the show, said Discovery Solutions VP Amy Baker.

Baker said Johnson & Johnson had celebrated Babies Week in February with off-air promotions but hadn’t done any TV surrounding it. They came to Discovery with the germ of an idea and Discovery brainstormed what, with Johnson & Johnson’s input and approval, would become the yearlong deal. Johnson & Johnson’s goal was to develop an integrated promotion, branding and a consumer sweepstakes with the broad reach that Discovery provides.

The Birth Day Live! Sponsorship also includes 10-second branded billboards on Discovery, TLC and Animal Planet plus promos on TVs playing at Discovery Channel Stores. Discovery also created 10 parenting vignettes that will be tied into Discovery Health.

Baker said the product integration would be organic and not forced. Appropriate Johnson & Johnson products have been made available to Birth Day Live! producers but they were not given guidelines on how long they have to show them.

“They were told to use it the way you’ve got to use it, and to use it naturally,” Baker said.

There isn’t an online component on Discovery’s Website. Baker said Johnson & Johnson wanted to spend most of its money for this campaign on air with Discovery. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an online component, however. Johnson & Johnson will deliver a certain amount of impressions on other Websites to promote the campaign.

Johnson & Johnson said it was happy about the value Discovery brought.

“We are delighted Discovery Networks is providing Johnson & Johnson with an opportunity to highlight our most precious franchises – babies and families, during the high-quality programming Discovery offers,” said Johnson & Johnson VP Andrea Alstrup.

Discovery had previously done cross-platform deals with Procter & Gamble plus several movie studios. It recently finished one with the producers of Gangs of New York where Discovery ran a documentary of the real story behind the times. Actors featured in the movie appeared in interstitials to promote it. On deck is a weeklong promotion on The Travel Channel and TLC around the DVD release of the sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding. TLC’s A Wedding Story will feature international weddings next week and The Travel Channel is offering Greek-themed programs on its air. The shows are being cross-promoted on each channel.