Doan’s Pills for Backache Pain

Revitalized 80 year old dying brand with sales under $1 million to become the leader in the over-the-counter backache pain reliever category achieving sales of $13 million in 1986.

Doan's was acquired in 1981 under a 99 year license from Purex Industries, then a division of The Dial Corporation.

Upon taking over the brand, Himmel doubled the price of the brand to provide an adequate gross margin to invest in advertising and marketing.

The brand's unique advertising positioning, heavy investment in advertising, dominant share of advertising voice, and use of extremely believable testimonials, allowed Doan's to become the market leader with sales of $13 million in 1986 when the brand was sold to Ciba-Geigy for $35 million.