• by Les Luchter , September 18, 2024

ESPN host Mike “Greeny” Greenberg, who underwent catheter ablation last year to treat his atrial fibrillation (AFib), has teamed with Biosense Webster, a Johnson & Johnson MedTech brand that offers such treatments, for a largely unbranded campaign called “Get Smart About AFib.”

AFib, the most common cardiac arrhythmia (or abnormal heartbeat), affects approximately 8 million people in the U.S, J&J MedTech says, but fewer than 5% of eligible patients receive ablations.

 The campaign’s goal, J&J MedTech tells Marketing Daily, is to “spread awareness of AFib and catheter ablations by sharing his own personal story,” and teaching the signs, symptoms, and treatment options available for AFib, while also encouraging patients to advocate for their health and have meaningful conversations with their healthcare providers.

In a 3-minute YouTube video, Greenberg tells his story of switching from beta blockers to getting the catheter ablation procedure, and says “I knew I had to tell this story, because there are just so many people that…have no idea that there was this procedure out there that might have the kind of impact on their lives that it's had on mine.”

Greenberg’s story is also being disseminated through a page at GetSmartAboutAFib.net, media interviews (e.g., with People), and the social media channels of both Greenberg and J&JMedTech.

“Strategically partnering with Johnson & Johnson MedTech allows me to share my story and advocate for people to see an electrophysiologist,” Greenbeerg said in a statement.

“Get Smart About AFib” has gotten underway as Johnson & Johnson begins to phase out the names of its medtech brands -- which, in addition to Biosense Webster, include Ethicon, DePuy Synthes, Abiomed and Cerenovus -- into the Johnson & Johnson MedTech moniker.

“We will continue to honor the legacies of these brands by maintaining the products, services and approach to collaboration that made them some of the most trusted names in healthcare,” Tim Schmid, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chairman of J&J MedTech, said in a press release earlier this month.

Following the 2023 spinoff of its consumer division into Kenvue, Johnson & Johnson now has two business segments: MedTech and Innovative Medicine, the new name for its pharma segment.

BioSense Webster, founded in 1970, was acquired by J&J in 1997.

J&J MedTech’s main competitor in the AFib ablation catheter space is Abbott, through its 2017 acquisition of St. Jude Medical.