Band-Aid

Last updated
Band-Aid
Band-Aid logo.svg
BandAid.jpg
Product type Adhesive bandage/dressing
Owner Kenvue
Country U.S.
IntroducedJune 1920 (invention)
MarketsWorldwide
Tagline
  • "I am stuck on Band-Aid brand 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!" (US) [1]
  • "Stays on until you want it off" (Aus) [2]
Website www.band-aid.com
A close-up of an open Band-Aid Band-Aid close-up.jpg
A close-up of an open Band-Aid

Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. [3] Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and others.

Contents

History

The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey, [4] for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. [5] The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957.

The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of sterilized Band-Aids in 1939. [6]

In World War II, millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide. [7]

In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Superman, Spider-Man, Rocket Power, Rugrats, smiley faces, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Elmo, and Batman.

In 2022, Band-Aid was named the most trusted brand in the United States, beating the second place brand, Lysol, by more than two points. [8]

Trademark status

Band-Aid tins (1942, 1958) Band-Aid tins (1942, 1958).jpg
Band-Aid tins (1942, 1958)

Band-Aid has, over time, become a well-known example of a genericized trademark in the United States, Canada and South America, [9] but Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the registration is valid and legal. [10] Johnson & Johnson continues to defend the Band-Aid trademark against it being genericized. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tylenol (brand)</span> Medication

Tylenol is a brand of medication, advertised for reducing pain, reducing fever, and relieving the symptoms of allergies, cold, cough, headache, and influenza. The active ingredient of its original flagship product is paracetamol, an analgesic and antipyretic. Like the words paracetamol and acetaminophen, the brand name Tylenol is derived from a chemical name for the compound, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol (APAP). The brand name is owned by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Kenvue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson & Johnson</span> American multinational pharmaceutical and consumer goods corporation

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational, pharmaceutical, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the company is ranked No. 40 on the 2023 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations. In 2023, the company was ranked 40th in the Forbes Global 2000. Johnson & Johnson has a global workforce of approximately 130,000 employees who are led by the company's current chairman and chief executive officer, Joaquin Duato.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First aid kit</span> Collection of supplies and equipment that is used to give medical treatment

A first aid kit or medical kit is a collection of supplies and equipment used to give immediate medical treatment, primarily to treat injuries and other mild or moderate medical conditions. There is a wide variation in the contents of first aid kits based on the knowledge and experience of those putting it together, the differing first aid requirements of the area where it may be used, and variations in legislation or regulation in a given area.

Mind share relates to the development of consumer awareness or popularity, and is one of the main objectives of advertising and promotion. When people think of examples of a product type or category, they usually think of a limited number of brand names. The aim of mind share is to establish a brand as being one of the best kinds of a given product or service, and to even have the brand name become a synonym for the product or service offered. For example, a prospective buyer of a college education will have several thousand colleges to choose from. However, the evoked set, or set of schools considered, will probably be limited to about ten. Of these ten, the colleges that the buyer is most familiar with will receive the greatest attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Generic trademark</span> Common terms used to name products or services

A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or services, usually against the intentions of the trademark's owner.

Sellotape is a British brand of transparent, cellulose-based, pressure-sensitive tape, and is the leading brand in the United Kingdom. Sellotape is generally used for joining, sealing, attaching and mending.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adhesive bandage</span> Small self-adhesive medical dressing

An adhesive bandage, also called a sticking plaster, medical plaster, or simply plaster in British English, is a small medical dressing used for injuries not serious enough to require a full-size bandage. They are also known by the genericized trademarks of Band-Aid or Elastoplast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elastoplast</span> Brand of adhesive bandages

Elastoplast is a brand of adhesive bandages and medical dressing made by Beiersdorf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotch Tape</span> American brand of pressure sensitive tapes

Scotch Tape is a brand name used for pressure-sensitive tapes developed by 3M. It was first introduced by Richard Drew, who created the initial masking tape under the Scotch brand. The invention of Scotch-brand cellulose tape expanded its applications, making it suitable for sealing packages and conducting item repairs. Over time, Scotch Tape has been utilized in various industries and households for its diverse adhesive solutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tater tots</span> Deep-fried grated potato cylinders

Tater tots are grated potatoes formed into small cylinders and deep-fried, often served as a side dish. The name "tater tot" is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, but is often used as a generic term. "Tater" is short for potato. Ore-Ida also markets a coin-shaped version called "Crispy Crowns".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotton pad</span> Pads of cotton used for sanitary applications

Cotton pads are pads made of cotton which are used for medical or cosmetic purposes. For medical purposes, cotton pads are used to stop or prevent bleeding from minor punctures such as injections or venipuncture. They may be secured in place with tape. Cotton pads are also used in the application and the removal of makeup. Cotton pads are soft enough that they can be used to clean babies. Cotton balls have much of the same applications as cotton pads, and can be used interchangeably.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earle Dickson</span>

Earle Dickson was an American inventor best known for inventing adhesive bandages in the US. He lived in Highland Park, New Jersey, for a large portion of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmer's Products</span> American craft manufacturer

Elmer's Products, Inc. or simply Elmer's, is an American-based company that has a line of adhesive, craft, home repair, and office supply products. It is best known as the manufacturer of Elmer's Glue-All, a popular PVA-based synthetic glue, in addition to other brands including Krazy Glue, ProBond and CraftBond adhesives, and X-Acto cutting tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexcare</span> Personal health care brand

Nexcare is 3M's personal health care brand. The brand competes with Johnson & Johnson's Band-Aid brand in the adhesive bandage and first aid market. The brand also sells similar products such as bandages, gauze, surgical tape, cold sore treatment and liquid bandage products.

Trademark distinctiveness is an important concept in the law governing trademarks and service marks. A trademark may be eligible for registration, or registrable, if it performs the essential trademark function, and has distinctive character. Registrability can be understood as a continuum, with "inherently distinctive" marks at one end, "generic" and "descriptive" marks with no distinctive character at the other end, and "suggestive" and "arbitrary" marks lying between these two points. "Descriptive" marks must acquire distinctiveness through secondary meaning—consumers have come to recognize the mark as a source indicator—to be protectable. "Generic" terms are used to refer to the product or service itself and cannot be used as trademarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brand</span> Identification for a good or service

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and store value as brand equity for the object identified, to the benefit of the brand's customers, its owners and shareholders. Brand names are sometimes distinguished from generic or store brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trademark infringement</span> Violation of trademark rights

Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees. Infringement may occur when one party, the "infringer", uses a trademark which is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark owned by another party, especially in relation to products or services which are identical or similar to the products or services which the registration covers. An owner of a trademark may commence civil legal proceedings against a party which infringes its registered trademark. In the United States, the Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984 criminalized the intentional trade in counterfeit goods and services.

Compeed is a brand of hydrocolloid gel plasters for treating blisters, corns, cracked heels and cold sores. It was originally developed by Lars Backsell while working in Denmark for Coloplast A/S. The brand was sold to Johnson & Johnson in May 2002, then acquired by HRA Pharma in 2017. Compeed plasters are still manufactured by Coloplast.

<i>Doctor Dan the Bandage Man</i> Childrens book

Doctor Dan the Bandage Man is a children's book first published in 1950, which promotes adhesive bandages. It was originally sold with six Band-Aid brand bandages inside. The book was conceived by publisher Simon & Schuster, and published as part of their Little Golden Books series, with the cooperation of Band-Aid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. It was written by Helen Gaspard, with illustrations by Corinne Malvern.

Kenvue Inc. is an American consumer health company. Formerly the Consumer Healthcare division of Johnson & Johnson, Kenvue is the proprietor of well-known brands such as Aveeno, Band-Aid, Benadryl, Zyrtec, Johnson's, Listerine, Mylanta, Neutrogena, Trosyd, Tylenol, and Visine.

References

  1. "History of Innovation". Band-Aid. Johnson & Johnson . Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  2. "Band-Aid". Band-Aid. Johnson & Johnson . Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  3. "Kenvue | A new name for an iconic consumer health company". Lippincott.
  4. "Historical timeline". hphistory.org. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
  5. "BAND-AID® Brand Heritage". Johnson & Johnson . April 2015. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  6. "The History of the Band-Aid" . Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  7. "The Story of the Black Band-Aid". The Atlantic . 2013-06-06. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  8. "Most Trusted Brands 2022". Morning Consult . Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  9. "Has band-aid become a generic trademark?". genericides.org. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  10. "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval: BAND-AID". USPTO . May 15, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  11. Wenlei, Ma (July 1, 2014). "The curse of generification for brands such as Band-Aid, Hoover, Google, Xerox and escalator". News.com.au. Retrieved 12 May 2021.