Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018 National Runners Up NMIMS Mumbai's Gunisha's Story

Participating and eventually claiming the National Runners Up title for Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018 will always be my "AHA" moment no matter how many laurels I accumulate.

Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018 Campus Round:

The Campus round for J&J Quest 2018 was on and we all had a bad case of the heebie-jeebies! Maybe its the round itself or the fact that we are all in different cities- Indore, Mumbai, Lucknow. Results came, whoop! Hard work had paid off and we were the campus finalists. We put our heart and soul into the competition! In the process, we met Army Rheumatologists, went to Nanavati for research among other things. Victory again was ours! Finally, we were declared the National Runners Up of one of the most coveted competitions- Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018.

Why take part in Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018?

Our passion to solve business challenges and our mutual interest in the healthcare segment motivated us to join forces. Moreover, team diversity in terms of region and work experience gave us a holistic outlook of the problem. This made us sail through this rigorous yet joyful Quest!

The Team:

None of us had a background in pharmaceuticals. So, we were all in a dilemma that we won't be able to give our 100% to the case. Then, we sought advice from our seniors- Anshul and Shrey, who are associated with pharmaceutical marketing. Their guidance really helped us. The biggest learning was “Marketing in Pharmaceutical Companies has a direct impact on improving health and patient outcomes by informing doctors of the latest medical research”. This completely changed our mind and made us enthusiastic about the case.

We were working even 2 days before our trimester exams. We had professionalism in terms of taking up responsibilities. Also, we held conference calls to keep everyone on the same page. This really helped us in avoiding conflicts.

Since I already knew each of the team members personally, I played on to each of their strengths. Also, I used scripting methodology to motivate my team. One such example was the WhatsApp Group named “Campus Winners” that I made before the round actually happened. This really motivated all of us to bag the title.

More than 200+ teams registered and finally, 3 teams went to the finale. As per judges’ comments, ISB Hyderabad and NMIMS Mumbai were in neck and neck competition. J&J Quest is indeed one of the most thrilling, challenging and live project opportunities for the country’s top B-Schools. Also, it is loaded with exploratory market visits, consumer interactions, and mentorship from senior level managers at Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018 Rounds:

J&J Quest 2018 had three stages spread across a period of 6 weeks. The shortlisted teams got a period of 5 weeks to work on the project. Our expectations majorly revolved around having a regular check on our work. Also, since we all were complete novices, we needed a proper direction. They briefed us about the nitty-gritty of the brand. Also, our mentor weekly reviewed our work. So, I would rate my experience as a clear 5/5.

Learning from Johnson & Johnson Quest 2018:

Apart from sector-based technical learning, major insights we could garner from J&J Quest 2018 are:

1. An Engineer can be as good a Pharmaceutical Marketer as a B.Pharm Graduate;
2. A stint in Pharmaceutical Marketing provides a new dimension to marketing which will fuel, not limit, your Marketing Growth;
3. Marketing in Pharmaceutical companies has a direct impact on improving health and patient outcomes by informing doctors of the latest medical research; and
4. Digital Marketing and Data Analytics are going to transform Pharmaceutical Marketing in the future.

Our mentor, Ganesh Hebsur from Janssen, was constantly motivating us. He appreciated our efforts and did not leave any stone unturned to help us reach the top. His ideology was always 'Let's do it!', not 'You do it!'. Much thankful to Johnson & Johnson for providing us this platform and guidance in all manner.