In a world of ever-changing tactical spots, consistency is precious. It’s rare and yet, strangely undervalued. Advertisers are quick to abandon their long-term campaigns in favour of disposable ads that they hope will be a quick fix. However, when you think of commercials that are lodged deep inside your brain, I'll wager that most of them are set to music in the form of a Jingle.
Our earliest lessons are set to music. The Alphabet Song, for example, takes a series of seemingly random sounds and cements them (and their order) deep into our memories. Try to recite the words of your favourite song without singing it. With no music to lead the way, it’s infinitely harder to remember all of the words. Jingles do exactly the same thing. If you want people to remember something, set it to music.
We listen to music for recreation. It’s enjoyable. We’re conditioned to accept music into our brains more readily than sales pitches so use that to your advantage. With straight commercials, we know we’re being “sold”. We put up our guard and tune them out. Put that same sell line to music and we still know we’re being sold, but it’s more enjoyable to listen to. We may even find that little ear-worm is catchy. The jingle, and that sell line, might crop up in our heads when we’re going about our daily routine. And when it’s time to make a purchase, there’s all that equity built up in our minds from hearing the jingle over and over. That client's jingle will be Top Of Mind.
There are many reasons to use a jingle. Aside from the memorability factor, convenience is a big one. If the client is constantly freshening up their spots, a jingle donut is a great way to add consistency while making changes quickly and easily. If the big sale on one item goes better than expected, you can switch to the full sing version to enforce the message, while giving you time to formulate a Plan B. For the radio station, a client who has paid for a custom jingle will want that message on the air. That stimulates more radio sales.
What makes a good jingle? I always suggest to my clients that when they’re auditioning my jingle demo, they listen to it once then put it away. Later in the day, they should try to recall it. If they have no trouble remembering it, that’s a good jingle. If they can’t, I go back to the drawing board. Effective jingles are immediately memorable. They stick the very first time.
With so many advertisers vying for listeners’ attention, your message needs every advantage you can give it. Set it to music in the form of a catchy jingle. Then, use it every time. You’ll be amazed at how your simple message will become engrained in the minds of your target market. Your jingle can, and should, become your best old friend.
Thanks for your time.
Wray Ellis
