Band-Aid
{{short description|Brand name of adhesive bandages and related products}}
{{About|one brand of adhesive bandage|the musical ensemble|Band Aid (band)|other uses|Band Aid (disambiguation){{!}}Band Aid}}
{{infobox brand
| logo = Band-Aid logo.svg
| name = Band-Aid
| image = File:BandAid.jpg
| type = Adhesive bandage/dressing
| currentowner = Kenvue
| origin = U.S.
| introduced = June 1920 (invention)
| discontinued =
| related =
| markets = Worldwide
| previousowners =
| trademarkregistrations =
| ambassador =
| tagline =
- "I am stuck on Band-Aid brand 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me!" (US){{cite web |title=History of Innovation |url=https://www.band-aid.com/our-brand/brand-history |website=Band-Aid |publisher=Johnson & Johnson |access-date=24 November 2022}}
- "Stays on until you want it off" (Aus){{cite web |title=Band-Aid |url=https://www.band-aid.com.au/ |website=Band-Aid |publisher=Johnson & Johnson |access-date=24 November 2022}}
| website = {{URL|1=http://www.band-aid.com/}}
}}
Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the consumer health company Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://lippincott.com/work/kenvue/|title=Kenvue | A new name for an iconic consumer health company|website=Lippincott}} Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.
History
The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey,{{Cite web|url=http://hphistory.org/timeline.php|title=Historical timeline|website=hphistory.org|language=en|access-date=2018-06-02}} for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking.{{cite web |url=http://www.band-aid.com/brand-heritage |title=BAND-AID® Brand Heritage |work=Johnson & Johnson |date=April 2015 |access-date=September 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615114556/http://www.band-aid.com/brand-heritage |archive-date=June 15, 2013 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-band-aid-1991345|title=The History of the Band-Aid|access-date=25 August 2018}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/the-story-of-the-black-band-aid/276542/|title=The Story of the Black Band-Aid|website=The Atlantic|access-date=25 August 2018|date=2013-06-06}}
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.{{cite web |url=https://morningconsult.com/most-trusted-brands-2022/ |title=Most Trusted Brands 2022 |publisher=Morning Consult |accessdate=2022-10-05 }}
Trademark status
Over time, Band-Aid has become a well-known example of a genericized trademark in the United States, Canada and South America.{{cite web |url= https://www.genericides.org/trademark/band-aid |title= Has band-aid become a generic trademark? |access-date= April 29, 2021 |website= genericides.org |archive-date= April 29, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210429144935/https://www.genericides.org/trademark/band-aid |url-status= dead }} Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office{{cite web |title=Trademark Status & Document Retrieval: BAND-AID |url=http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85488471&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch |work=USPTO |date=May 15, 2012 |access-date=September 21, 2015}} and has tried to prevent its genericization in its marketing.{{cite news |last1=Wenlei |first1=Ma |title=The curse of generification for brands such as Band-Aid, Hoover, Google, Xerox and escalator |url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/the-curse-of-generification-for-brands-such-as-bandaid-hoover-google-xerox-and-escalator/news-story/e0f648fa32d7e07e134d83f889cbf643 |access-date=12 May 2021 |publisher=News.com.au |date=July 1, 2014}}
See also
- Elastoplast, a comparable European brand and genericized trademark
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wiktionary|band-aid}}
- [http://www.band-aid.com/ Band-Aid Brand Official Website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130615114556/http://www.band-aid.com/brand-heritage Band-Aid Brand History]
- [http://www.jnjfirstaid.com Johnson & Johnson First Aid Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110730101120/http://www.jnjfirstaid.com/ |date=2011-07-30 }}
{{J&J}}
Category:Brands that became generic