Brand Genericide happens when the brand masters the prism

The communication of the brand and its product’s striking features grow bigger over time. These communications build up over time which in-turn portrays a reflection or an image of the buyer or user which it seems to be addressing. The brand speaks to the user’s self-image. Through the user’s attitude towards certain brands, they develop a certain inner relationship. This makes the brand so big that the name of the brand is started being used for the category it represents and hence genericide becomes a big threat.

Brand Prism of BAND-AID

1) Physical Qualities or Physique – This is the physical and tangible part of the brand. BAND-AID has good adhesive qualities which serves its basic purpose of sticking well on to the wound. Also it’s a small strip with the antiseptic and medicated solution at its centre which helps cover the wound and the good quality adhesive makes it stay till long. The small size (Band) of BAND AID works in its favour as it is enough to cover the small wounds. Also since the colour of the strip matches the skin colour, it does not look very odd on the body of a person. This makes it more usable since it does not look too big or odd, especially if it is put on the face or forehead.

2) Personality or Character – Brand BAND-AID carries a strong personality with itself since the product comes from Johnson & Johnson and has good quick healing characteristics. The ease of use, portability and easy availability character of the brand gives a good impression of the brand personality.

3) Values or Culture – Coming from Johnson & Johnson, which has a legacy of more than 100 years in the market, BAND-AID gets a lot of values attached to it. Values like trust, effectiveness, quality, assurance are the most prominent features of BAND-AID. Being a Johnson & Johnson product, BAND-AID brings the same culture of purity and trust as the company has. Johnson & Johnson and in-turn BAND-AID signifies a serious product of health care and is perceived as reliable and dependable. Johnson & Jonson and BAND-AID represent USA and its professionalism and quality.

4) Relationship – The 100 year long relationship of Johnson & Johnson with health care helps the brand BAND-AID convey its message to the consumer. Johnson & Johnson signifies dependability in its field and a product from such a company, backed by its long relation with the health industry, gave BAND-AID a relatively easy establishment platform. The Relationship here signifies trust and quality of the product BAND-AID. BAND-AID’s latest tag line “Sticks with you through the years” signifies its long lastingness and conveys to its users that it has been with them for a long time and will continue to be.

5) Reflection – BAND-AID appeals to almost all the classes of people. Because the product BAND-AID is not so expensive and generally affordable, it reaches all the sections of the society. The long legacy of the brand has made it generic with its category. The average user of the product, who likes taking care of himself / herself even in case of small wounds definitely uses BAND-AID. The brand BAND-AID reflects a consumer who likes keeping first aid at hand and is cautious about one’s health. In 1978, BAND-AID came up with a jingle saying “I am stuck brand BAND-AID because BAND-AID stuck on me.

6) Self-Image – Since a long time, BAND-AID has tied up with Disney, Barbie, Hello Kitty etc. and other superhero characters like Spider man to attract the kids and create a self-image within themselves. Kids that like these characters and relate themselves with these also like using BAND-AID because of these characters endorsing BAND-AID. By using these characters BAND-AID helps the kids build up a self-image of themselves. For example – a kid thinking of himself as Spiderman and using BAND-AID.