Promoting Your Business with a Jingle

21 May Promoting Your Business with a Jingle

In the television series “Two and a Half Men,” Charlie Sheen’s character Charlie Harper is a jingle writer, and in the first season (ep.8), we see the power of jingles. Charlie gets the job of prepping Jake’s class for a musical and ends up using his jingles because the kids have them memorized. Jingles are powerful. They offer a way to add an extra emphasis to advertising because they are easily remembered. The mixture of a slogan and a catchy tune become an identifying feature for the business.

Consider these other jingles from real world commercials.

• “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”
• “I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Weiner”
• “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz” (Alka-Seltzer)
• “Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun” (Doublemint)
• “The Taste is Going to Move Ya” (Juicyfruit)
• “Band-Aid’s Stuck on Me”
• “Don’t You Want to Be a Pepper Too?” (Dr. Pepper)
• “Like a Good Neighbor” (State Farm)
• “Give Me a Break” (Hershey Kit Kat)

All of these jingles were used in commercials on national television. These catchy tunes became so well known that people would sing them to themselves in the shower and whistle them at work. They became part of popular culture, so much so, that anyone who watched those commercials can sing them to you today.

Jingles combine music, words and visuals. This combination gives viewers a sensory memory. The more senses involved, the more viewers are likely to remember. The concept behind jingles is that they are simple, the tunes are catchy and their upbeat nature will stick in the mind resulting in the memory of the brand that they are associated with. That way, whenever you see that brand anywhere, you will remember the jingle. This positive association has a powerful impact on customers and prospects. If your customer sings every time they see your brand, they are more likely to buy.

While not all companies will become national household names, many successfully become regional or local household names due to the advertising impact of jingles. While jingles originated on radio, today we can broadcast the jingle on television, the Internet and social media. With the ability to upload videos to the Internet, your company can create a short commercial with a jingle and post it on Facebook, Vines, your website and any other social media site that uses video. In addition, you can link to it from emails, newsletters, Twitter and Google+. And it can run on the traditional channels of radio and TV. This abundance of channels extends the reach of jingles directly into people’s homes. It also allows your company to reach people that only watch shows and movies online.

Like other forms of advertising, jingles are written to appeal to your target market. Working with a jingle writer, you can decide who you is in your target audience and what type of jingle they would respond to. Consider what your brand represents, your target audience and what would appeal to them. Once you have your jingle, you can promote it on any channel that allows sound.