Johnson & Johnson encourages Gen Z to put down their screens and envision the future

Johnson & Johnson has a new vision for its contact lens product Acuvue, launching the Where Vision Meets Sight social media campaign aimed at a younger audience.

This new digital project asks teens to put down their digital screens and give their eyes a rest.

In partnership with creative ideas from Generation Z content creators, the Johnson & Johnson Vision brand encourages youth to use this screen-free time to pursue their purpose, follow their dreams and clarify their vision for the future.

The campaign website features the tagline: “Vision is shaped by your mind. Sight is sensed by your eyes.”

The #MyVisionMySight campaign also features short videos of influencers sharing what the experience was like for them.

For example, film student Amber Alexander shared: “I’m often so caught up in the world of social media that I forget I’m a real person who deserves time for self-care. During my social media break, I realized how deeply I needed time to journal, meditate, and cook nourishing foods for myself so that I could truly feel refreshed.”

According to Nancy Sabin, head of North America marketing and connected commerce at Johnson & Johnson Vision, a person’s digital screen use is now around 13-plus hours a day, a 35% increase since 2019.

And all of this digital use can have a damaging effect on person’s eyesight. Johnson & Johnson reported that a person blinks 60% less when staring at screens, which can destabilize the tear film, impacting comfort and vision.

Sabin said in an interview with Fierce Pharma Marketing that the campaign prides itself on authentic story telling.

“We’ve seen Gen Z grown up with social media, and we wanted to tap into that and set an example of what’s possible if they take a break from social media and envision what they can do with that newfound time,” Sabin said. “We hope to inspire positive change and be in the world we want, not just what we see.”

Gen Z is just one of several demographics that Acuvue is focused on at this time. Sabin says that with the increasing intensity of digital lifestyles, the company is using innovation to meet consumers’ evolving needs.

“I see the eyes as the gateway to overall health, so overall awareness of your vision is incredibly important,” Sabin added. “If you have an awareness then you can take preventative action.”

The campaign is timely as May is National Mental Health Awareness month. Therefore, the Big Pharma hopes that Gen Zers will take the time away from TikTok, Instagram and other social media sites to think about how they engage in the real world.

In fact, Sabin says there is power in the My Vision My Sight message for people of all ages and demographics. Johnson & Johnson Vision has invited its employees to take the challenge to take a break from screens and social media to do “whatever feeds you and serves to inspire you.”