2. 2 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
Never Underestimate
the Power of Music
All of us have heard a song at the
grocery store or a party that upgraded our mood
from good to great. And some experts say that music can
truly rewire your brain and may even someday help humans
overcome certain illnesses. So of course, it makes perfect
sense that brands and businesses have a long history
of harnessing the power of music through the
commercial advertising jingle.
3. 3 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
The Lasting Power of Jingles
Most cultural historians agree that the first commercial
jingle was created in 1923 for General Mills’ Wheaties
cereal. This ditty. “Have You Tried Wheaties?”, marked
the birth of the form. Some of the most popular jingles
of all time include “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”
(Coca-Cola), “I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Weiner”
(Oscar-Mayer), and “You Deserve a Break Today”
(McDonald’s).
The fact that we’re even talking about these jingles
decades later only proves their lasting power. A well-
crafted jingle can do more than simply sell a product
- it can lodge itself deep into the cultural consciousness,
taking the associated brand along for the ride.
In this eBook, we’ll talk about the power of the
commercial advertising jingle, and how it’s a marketing
tool that a business of any size can use to their benefit.
4. 4 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
Make an Introduction
As a business owner, your most precious moments
are the ones where you’re connecting with a potential
consumer for the first time. Whether they’re visiting
your website or hearing your commercial on the radio,
you only have a few seconds to make a meaningful
connection with them. While it may be a sobering thing
to consider, the last thing they want to hear is another
commercial. You need to set yourself apart and this is
exactly what a jingle can do.
As with any blind introduction, put all the pertinent
information up front - your business name, maybe even
your slogan. You also don’t want to be stiff. Have a lively
jingle, one that makes people happy, or at least hopeful.
It’ll make them want to think of you.
5. 5 | Fiverr Seller Best Practices
Show Your Personality
Your jingle should show off your brand’s personality.
Is your brand funny? Hopeful? Inspiring? Dependable?
As we mentioned earlier, it should make people happy
- but if you deal in a more serious arena (e.g., life
insurance, an organization that assists the homeless),
then hopeful or optimistic are better than happy or
upbeat.
But no matter the specific mood of your jingle, it’s
important that it has something about it that is unique
to your brand. Call it a spark of personality, or even the
musical essence of what your brand really, truly is.
6. 6 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
Instant Rebrand
There comes a time for many businesses when they
need to rethink their marketing strategy. Maybe
they’re looking to expand their clientele, introduce a
new product, or even use a rebrand to better convey
their values and purpose. Whatever the case may be,
a jingle can help you reset and reshape your potential
customers’ overall impression of your brand.
For example, take Chili’s jingle about their baby back
ribs. The purpose of this was to promote a specific item
on their menu. All these years later, it’s still considered
one of the catchiest jingles in marketing history.
7. 7 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
Instant Rebrand
In 2003, McDonald’s struck up a sponsorship deal
with music star Justin Timberlake. The result was a
pop jingle called “I’m Lovin’ It,” which became the
basis for their new slogan and theme song. It quickly
repositioned the brand as young and hip, while also
giving them a new emotional angle.
If you’re looking to make people think about your
business differently, a jingle may be the way to go. When
strategizing exactly how a jingle can help you connect
with a wider audience, think about what exactly you’re
trying to achieve. What new information do you want
customers to know? Do you want to reach a different
demographic? What are the opportunities out there
for you and your business? Once you have the answers
to these questions, you get craft a jingle that helps you
accomplish your goals.
8. 8 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
Follow People Around
Jingles have a funny way of getting into people’s heads. There’s not
a lot of scientific data out there about how or why this works, but it’s
clearly the case. After all, who hasn’t suddenly had a jingle that they
hadn’t heard in years, maybe even since their childhood, stuck in their
head during a random elevator ride up to the office?
A jingle can make your business memorable by wrapping it up in a song.
We hear so many slogans, phone numbers, and business names on a daily
basis that it can be easy to forget them within a few seconds. But a jingle
gives them staying power by harnessing the power of music and melody.
A perfect non-marketing example of this would be the alphabet song; we
use music to help young people remember these 26 letters that make up
the foundation of human language.
Given this, you need to use your jingle wisely. Terrible lyrics or a saccharine
melody might push your jingle into the realm of annoyance or even parody,
and that’s not something you want stuck in your customers’ heads.
9. 9 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
So How Do I Make a Jingle?
Now that you know how jingles can make your business
memorable and connect you with new customers, how
do you make one for yourself?
For starters, no matter how musically talented you are,
it’s probably a good idea to hire a musical collaborator.
They can help you land the music and lyrics that fit
with your business. They can also help you figure out a
format that works best for you. For instance, you may be
thinking you want an epic song like “I’d Like to Buy the
World a Coke,” when all you really need is a four-second
jingle like the one that closes some of McDonald’s
“I’m Lovin’ It”-themed commercials.
10. 10 | How a Jingle Can Make Your Business Memorable
So How Do I Make a Jingle?
Once you have a jingle that you
think works, talk to your core group
of associates, friends, and family
members to see what they think
of it. Get their initial reactions, but
also come back to them a day or two
later. Did the jingle get stuck in their
head? Did they like the song more
and more as time went by? These
later reactions are as valuable, if
not more valuable, than their initial
reactions.
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