#52Ancestors52Weeks....Week #5... Influencer.....Elizabeth Jane Burrows' Convincing Testimony Sells Doan's Kidney Pills

  This ad appeared in the local paper The Morning Union (Grass Valley, California) in 1902.  Imagine sitting at the breakfast table with your freshly squeezed orange juice on a sunny September morning. You aren't feeling your best; perhaps your kidneys are the cause.  You open up the morning newspaper and see an ad for Doan's Kidney Pills.....and you read the glowing testimonial from your neighbor E.J. Burrows on Townsend Street! Not only did Jane Burrows recommend Doan's Pills for her kidney complaints, but her friend Mrs. Thomas Nolan on Bennett Street did too!  And to think, the pills could cure kidney trouble in three days.   Perhaps you should run down to Loutzenheiser's Drug Store and get yourself some of those amazing pills.  Yes, my Great Great  Grandmother was an influencer! 

  

  What is an influencer?  These days it is considered to be someone who has the power to effect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his or her audience.  We are very familiar with social media influencers these days. It is relatively easy for the 'average' person to have their opinions heard by thousands through Youtube, blogging, vlogging and other means.  Were there influencers that would fit that description in 1902?  Most definitely. Back in the day all you had to do was open up your hometown newspaper and base your purchase (especially of a patent medicine at the turn of the century) on the genuine testimony of a trusted neighbor.  As I was searching through local newspapers I was surprised to find these advertisements that featured my great great  grandmother. 

My Great Great Grandmother Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows (1855-1935)

  Elizabeth Jane (Hurd) Burrows was indeed a person with authority and position in her community of Grass Valley at the turn of the century.  Her husband Alexander Burrows was a prominent lawyer and City Attorney for Grass Valley from the 1870's into the 1890's and Jane herself was a lawyer, although she never practiced as she was the mother of twelve children. I'd say she was a perfect candidate for giving a believable testimonial for Doan's Kidney Pills. 

   Why did she lend her name and testimony to sell Doan's Kidney Pills?  I believe she did it to either make a little money or to make a point.  She and Alexander had divorced in 1894 and by 1900 his second wife had passed away and he was living with his "housekeeper" on Richardson Street.  Maybe she wanted the town to know what straights she was in due to her ex-husband's life choices.  Or she really believed Doan's Kidney Pills cured her ailments and wanted to let her neighbors know!  I did find a Mrs. Thomas Nolan living on Bennett Street in 1900, 1910 and 1920.  Did they really know each other? Hard to say. 

  Jane's original testimonial appeared again in three separate ads, one in 1903, 1904  and one in 1905.  

 The Morning Union Grass Valley, California Friday August 7, 1903

"Proof that you can't possibly doubt"

 

 The Morning Union Grass Valley, California Saturday August 20, 1904

"Endorsed by people you know"...

The proofreader didn't bother to check the text of the testimonial in this ad. 

The Morning Union September 20, 1905 

This advertisement is paired with celebrity Miss Odette Tyler's testimonial.  She was a prominent New York stage actress, author and patron of the arts in Los Angeles.  Celebrity influencers helped sell products also. Imagine being mentioned in the same ad as  Miss Odette Tyler! 

 I don't know how much Jane Burrows got paid for her testimonial or how she was compensated. She was part of a marketing strategy used by many patent (not patented) medicines during this time.  Most of these products contained unregulated and often harmful ingredients.  Paid testimonials for what we now consider quack medicines were also how newspapers made their money. Using the power of personal experience (provided in a very detailed account) by someone that lived in the very city or town as you  was a very successful way to sell cures for all kinds of ailments. These testimonials often followed a certain script, using people's names, addresses and a sad but relatable story that was cured by a certain product. Influencer marketing was going strong at the turn of the century!

A 1900 Advertisement from Tacoma Washington....

"They have helped thousands...they should help you."

     Doan's Pills are still sold today, although with a different formula and a different marketing strategy. The company still relies heavily on believable customer and celebrity testimony.  Think celebrity influencer Joe Garagiola (the baseball player) in the 70's and his nagging backache from over exertion.  He recommended Doan's Pills too! 

.....(The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was the beginning of the end for fraudulent advertising claims and dubious ingredients of patent medicines.  Doan's eventually changed its ingredients from a questionable diuretic (potassium nitrate, pitch and oil of juniper)  to a common analgesic and remarketed their product  specifically for backaches and muscle aches brought on from over exertion.  They were ordered to cease using the claim that their brand was superior to other analgesics on the market in 1996 by the Federal Trade Commission). 

https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/patent-medicines/

  

  Relationship Reference: Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen->Vere Burrows Hansen->Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows