Invention & generification of BAND-AID

The Journey of Band-aid: From an idea to household item

There is hardly any person who hasn't used band-aid as a quick fix to heal cuts and bruises. Invented in 1920, band-aids have become the common item in everyone's first aid kit.

Let's delve into the story of how band-aid came into existence and how it became a generic term for adhesive bandages.

#1: Idea born out of love and care

#2: Ideation to conceptualization

#3: Marketing and success

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#1: Idea born out of love and care

In 1920, a young housewife Josephine used to get frequent cuts and burns in the kitchen, and Earle Dickinson, a cotton buyer at JnJ, had to dress her wife's wounds every evening. One day Earle devised ready-made bandages that Josephine could administer herself. A product he never expected to become one of the biggest brands of Johnson & Johnson.

#2: Ideation to conceptualization

Dickson’s ready-made bandage was a combination of two existing J&J products - surgical tape and gauze, with a removable sheet of crinoline to protect its adhesive surface. Ideation and Production Dickson discussed the idea with his management who readily adopted it as after WW1, JnJ was also shifting focus from military to consumer care. By 1921, band-aids had hit the market.

#3: Marketing and success

Only $3,000 worth band-aids were sold the first year because people weren’t sure how to use them. But sales soon skyrocketed with familiarity and demonstrative advertisements.

Advertisements:

• JnJ started with demonstrative ads by Jnj that scaled the adoption of band-aids.

• In 1926, JnJ came up with its iconic tin boxes for band-aids which were seen in every home as first aid boxes.

• Launched Story books like Doctor Dan-The Bandage Man and Band-aids in different colors, shapes, and sizes for kid-friendly positioning.

Major Highlights:

• During WW2, the Band-Aid box became an essential item in every soldier's kit.

• Band-Aid reached the moon. It was a part of the kit in Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions.

• JnJ executed continuous innovation over the years and launched the sterilized band-aid in 1939, antibiotic strip in 1997, quilted padding in 2012, and skin-flex line in 2017.

Today, nearly a century later, over 100 billion Band-aids have been sold (According to JnJ) and BAND-AID has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in most parts of the world.