Category: Jingles

Advertising your small business on the radio is still one of the most effective methods of advertising. In fact, even in 2022, more Americans listen to the radio than use Facebook every week. And radio holds the highest collective trust of any advertising channel. If you want to get your small business out there, advertising with a jingle for small business is the best way to do it.

Jingles have been widely used in advertising for decades. From the first jingle broadcast for Wheaties on Christmas Eve, 1926, jingles use the power of music and repetition to stick their associated product into the heads of customers for good. You probably can think of at least five jingles off the top of your head without trying too hard. They’re just that powerful.

But what goes into a catchy jingle for a small business? How do you get customers to remember your brand without annoying them or overwhelming them? Writing jingles is a bit of a science, but we’ve broken down the top 6 factors to keep in mind when writing a jingle for small business. With this guide, you’ll have a catchy earworm of a jingle in no time.

1. Audience

The first rule of thumb for any advertising campaign is to think of your target audience. Jingles are no different. The audience you’re trying to capture is going to determine the type of small business jingle that they’ll respond to. In general, you’ll need to create an audience profile before you start writing so you can determine who your ideal audience is.

There are a lot of factors that go into an audience profile, but here are the big ones:

• Gender
• Age range
• Geographical location
• Occupation
• Family/Marital status
• Race and/or ethnicity
• Income status

With your ideal audience in mind, you’ll need to think about what factors appeal to them. Younger demographics will likely gravitate towards a jingle that’s more upbeat or resembles pop music. A higher-class crowd may like something classical, instead. A rural audience may like acoustic sounds instead of electronic ones. The words and instruments you use in your jingle all have different meanings to different people, so choose carefully.

2. Product/Service

The product or service that your jingle is advertising is the second most important factor to consider when writing a jingle for small business. This will determine the style of the jingle and the content almost as much as the audience. What do you want your audience to remember about your jingle? What does your small business offer that your competitors don’t? Think about your overall brand image and the call to action you’d like your customers to take and use that to write taglines or lyrics to be sung for the jingle.

Make sure the style of your jingle matches your business, as well. If you have a tech company, futuristic, electronic tones will sound better than acoustic or rock music. A jingle for a car dealership should sound fast, upbeat, and inspired by rock or pop. If the image the music evokes is the opposite of what your business is associated with, audiences may be confused and not realize what the jingle is advertising.

3. Mood/Tone

Evoking the right mood and tone with your jingle for small business is the key to making sure your company stands out. You’ll need to determine what you want your audience to remember most when they hear your jingle. What should they think about your company? A real estate agent’s jingle should evoke trustworthiness and professionalism, while a jingle for a toy company should be fun, playful, and energetic.

4. Wording

If your small business jingle isn’t instrumental only, chances are, it’s going to be your tagline, slogan, name, or phone number that is going to be sung. Out of these choices, you should pick the one that will drive your audience to your intended call to action. If you want listeners to call your business, having your phone number as part of the jingle is the best course of action. If you want to drive home what makes your business different than the others, a strong, memorable tagline is a better choice for the jingle wording.

Choose words for a tagline or slogan that are simple to pronounce and evoke strong imagery. Use famous jingles as examples—which company’s jingle gets stuck in your head the most? Take the elements that make their slogan so effective and use them for your jingle for small business.

5. Repetition

Repeated sounds, notes, or words are what make a song or jingle stick inside someone’s head. In fact, the human brain loves repetition so much, that it will start to create melodies out of repeated sounds even if they aren’t being sung. Use repetition to your advantage when creating your small business jingle. Whether it’s repeating words, notes, or even nonsense sounds (e.g. “la la la”), utilizing repetition in your jingle is the best way to keep your business at the top of your audience’s memory.

6. Short, Sweet, to the Point

Finally, remember that your small business jingle should be short, sweet, and to the point. Most jingles are only a few seconds long, with a maximum length of 30 seconds for an entire melody to be used under radio ads. The “hook” of the jingle, or the sung tagline or phrase, should be around 5-10 seconds in length. Choose just a few short words to be sung, and don’t make it too complex. You want your audience to be humming the tagline over and over. If it’s too long, the repetition is less likely to stick. Less is definitely more!

Killer Jingles from Killerspots

If you’re not a songwriter or lyricist, Killerspots has been producing jingles for small businesses since 1999. Our talented team of writers, musicians, and singers will help you through the jingle development process, from the initial concept meeting, all the way to hearing your jingle on the radio, in commercials, and beyond. Listen to some of our previous work and get in touch with us for a free jingle quote.

Many businesses owe almost all of their growth to the assistance they receive from advertising agencies. Maybe that is why the industry for advertising agencies is worth more than $59 billion each year in the United States alone! However, many businesses are failing to make the most of jingles for business advertising, one of the most efficient advertising techniques out there!

Many business leaders do not realize how many benefits come with using a jingle for advertising. If more people appreciated the power of the jingle, more businesses would be likely to use them.

Of course, since businesses often do not use jingles, that means that it is easier for those that do to stand out from their competition.

So what are all of the benefits of using a jingle for your marketing? Read on to learn all about the most important advantages that come with using a business jingle!

Branding Benefits of a Jingle

Many people find it hard to describe exactly what branding is. One powerful way to think about branding is that it is like creating an artificial personality.

People are used to forming relationships with other people and getting to know their personalities. Businesses do not have personalities, but branding can help them appear to have personalities.

Business leaders can put together a personality for their business and then potential customers are more likely to feel like they have a social connection with a business. That sort of connection can lead to greater trust in a business.

So how can a jingle help with this process? Almost everybody defines themselves at least in some way by the music that they enjoy. A person who does not have any relationship to music may have trouble connecting to people, at least along that dimension.

If a business brand does not have any relationship to music, then it can have trouble connecting to people along the dimension of music. Creating a signature jingle for a business means giving people the sense that the business has a certain personality that relates to music as well as to other things that are important to humans.

You Can Use Catchy Jingles Over and Over Again

One of the amazing advantages of jingles that many people overlook is that you can use them over and over again. The vast majority of individual ads do not provide that much value. That is why businesses need to create new ads all of the time.

Every time they create a new ad, they pay a certain expense to do so. In contrast, you only pay for the cost of creating a jingle one time. Once that is done, you can use it over and over again, which makes it unique among advertising tools.

Whereas most advertising tools get less effective if you use them many times, jingles get more and more effective when you use them over and over again.

Jingles Are Easy to Remember

There is a reason that we have a song to teach children the alphabet. It is much easier to learn sequences of words and ideas when they are placed to music.

People have a deep instinct for music that helps it stick in their minds. That means that not only can you use a jingle many times, but people will be much more likely to remember your jingle than anything else about your advertising.

That makes it one of the single most potent advertising tools a business can have. 

A Jingle Branding Element Makes a Strong Impression

We already talked about how associating a business with music can help people feel like the personality of the business is more real. However, jingles can help you with branding in other ways as well.

Just making a business seem like it appreciates music is not the same thing as deciding what message to send with the music of the jingle. Whatever ideas you associate with the jingle will be disproportionately salient in the minds of potential customers.

For example, if a jingle talks about the importance of community, consumers are more likely to think of community as one of the strongest values of a business.

You might also choose to represent cost savings or reliability as among the highest values of a business. Whatever value you express with a jingle, people will remember it more than almost anything else you express about your company.

Catchy Jingles Can Brighten Moods

Many people hate advertising. They feel that it is intrusive and does not provide value to them the vast majority of the time.

However, jingles can be much more pleasant to experience. As a result, you can turn what could feel like an intrusive ad into an enjoyable experience for consumers.

Enjoy Less Competition

Most companies are already saturating other marketing spaces. Using a jingle can mean standing out because fewer businesses realize how effective a good jingle can be.

Jingles Become More Powerful With Time

Other ads tend to lose value over time. What seemed relevant before becomes irrelevant as the years go by.

However, jingles enjoy the opposite dynamic. The more you use them, the more powerful they become. Years later, they can even provide the benefits of nostalgia.

Understand the Benefits of Having Jingles for Business

It is hard to deny the significance of the benefits of having jingles for business advertising. They provide a unique combination of efficiency and efficacy. The more you understand the power of the jingle, the better able you will be to assess if a jingle is the right marketing move for your business.

To learn more about how you can obtain a powerful jingle, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!

You might be shocked to learn that approximately 89 percent of people believe musical jingles to be a very effective form of advertising. Giving your brand or product a catchy tune and lyrics is one of the easiest ways for people to remember it. Odds are, if you hear “catchy advertising jingle”, you’re already hearing a few top candidates in your head!

As it turns out, creating a lasting and memorable advertising jingle is a delicate art that requires a keen eye for music and marketing. This brief guide will break down some of the all-time classics of jingle production.

Kit Kat – “Give Me a Break”

Not only is the Kit Kat bar practically synonymous with its enduring jingle, but the phrase “give me a break” has never been the same since!

First introduced in a 1986 TV ad, “Give Me a Break” was written on a whim by a junior copywriter before becoming an immediate favorite of test audiences. Since then, it’s landed among the most iconic jingles for ads. You likely know it’s impossible not to think of whenever you snap off a piece of any candy bar for that matter!

State Farm – “Like A Good Neighbor”

Enlisting the catchy musical expertise of Barry Manilow, State Farm debuted one of the most instantly recognizable jingles for business in 1971.

With the help of the “Copacabana” singer, “Like A Good Neighbor” became ingrained in the culture’s musical memory. To this day, almost every State Farm ad either begins or ends with a quick, truncated instrumental version of the song title’s five simple notes.

McDonald’s – “I’m Lovin’ It”: An All-Star Jingles Production Duo

Even when writing a jingle for commercials that are only a few seconds long, sometimes bringing together A-list jingle production talent yields only the best results.

In 2003, the iconic “ba-da ba pa-pa” was first sung by none other than Justin Timberlake over a composition by Grammy-winning rapper Pusha T. Tragically for Pusha, he missed out on the profits from the jingle’s publishing rights. “I want artists to know that,” he attests to this day, “Keep the publishing.”

Chili’s – “I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back…”

It could perhaps be dubbed “the commercial jingle that never ends”. Chili’s first debuted this repetitious earworm all the way back in 1986.

With a cyclical, never-ending baritone backdrop of “I want my baby back, baby back, baby back…”, Chili’s made its signature dish a staple in the cultural consciousness. The song has been spoofed and referenced all over, from the Austin Powers films to Scrubs. The catchiness is unimpeachable, and it makes the temptation to order at least one rack difficult to not indulge.

Empire – “800 Number”

At the end of the day, remembering brands, product names, or snappy slogans is easy enough. As Empire Carpet Today proved, it’s a next-level feat altogether for jingles in commercials to get an audience to easily recall an entire ten-digit phone number.

The enterprise once known as “The Empire Carpet Man” has changed its name and number since first introducing the song. Nonetheless, over the image of CGI employees installing carpets, it’s hard not to hear the company’s entire contact number right as you see it: “800-588-2300 Empire!”

Subway – “Five Dollar Footlong”

Sometime around 2008, Subway was offering new daily specials and very much wanted the world to know. With endless variations of repeating “Five. Five dollar. Five dollar footlong”, they succeeded in this goal without a doubt.

Subway originally conceived the “five dollar footlong” as a sly sales tactic. However, the company quickly realized the viral deal of their jingle’s namesake had run away from them. Unfortunately, the five dollar footlong deal ended for good in 2018.

Folgers – “The Best Part of Wakin’ Up”

For over thirty years, Folgers had coffee enthusiasts of the world rejoicing around the unforgettable refrain: “The best part of wakin’ up is Folgers in your cup”.

The song proved so influential for so that a fan even purchased the rights to it as recently as 2021!

Snagging the song’s rights for ninety thousand dollars at an auction, one enterprising stranger somewhere in the world will be bringing in residuals every time it’s played publicly.

Oscar Meyer – “I Wish I Was An Oscar Meyer Wiener”

To this day, “I Wish I Was An Oscar Meyer Weiner” perhaps remains an undeniable candidate for “weirdest slogan ever coined”. If anything, that goes to show you the staying power of a catchy and memorable song!

The tune was first cooked up by Richard Trentlage, a Chicago musician who simply held a unique fondness for jingle writing. In his kooky theme song, he imagines muses upon the key to being loved by everyone you meet: living out an existence as an Oscar Meyer wiener.

Originally accompanied by a goofy cartoon in its first 1965 ad, the song has spent decades giving us an odd reminder that life as a hot dog…might not be so bad?

Produce A Jingle Worthy of The Hall of Fame

If the countless success stories weren’t enough to speak for themselves, quality jingles production can sometimes be the secret ingredient that takes your brand to the next level. There’s no easier way to see how a good jingle could boost your brand than to try it yourself!

At Killer Spots Agency, our proven, expert approach to radio, voiceover, and jingle production is here to provide measurable results.

Contact us today and let us help you bring your brand’s unforgettable jingle to life.

Americans better love their ads! The average American sees between 6,500 and 11,000 ads every day.

If you want your commercials to stand out, you have to make them interesting and distinctive. An easy way to do that is to write jingles for commercials. 

But don’t start writing song lyrics just yet. You need to know a few things if you want to make a memorable jingle.

How do jingles work, and what lyrics should they contain? How can you gain influence from other jingles without replicating them? How do you develop your brand through a jingle and encourage your audience to reach out to you? 

Answer these questions and you can master how to make a memorable jingle in no time. Here is your quick guide.

Think About a Core Message

Your jingle should have a message that your audience can discern easily. Think about what the purpose of your jingle is. You may want your audience to know what the phone number for your business is, or you may want to promote a particular product. 

Base everything in the jingle around that message. If you’re promoting a phone number, sing about what calling the number will do for your audience. If you’re promoting a product, you can describe the product and explain how it is better than others. 

Try to write your message into one sentence you can repeat in your jingle like a chorus or refrain. Revise that sentence until it becomes more musical and catchy. You can use rhyme, alliteration, or assonance to make your sentence sound good.

Jingles for television ads are a little different than jingles on the radio. Your song needs to match the visuals on screen, and your jingle must fit within a 30-second or one-minute advertising block. But you still need to have a core message that resonates with your audience, even with accompanying visuals.

Contemplate Your Brand

Your jingle will not be effective if you do not attach it to your pre-established brand. If your business has a traditional and conservative brand, your jingle shouldn’t be silly or reminiscent of modern pop songs. 

Take a look at your previous marketing efforts and think about how your customers perceive you. If you are running a new business or don’t have a clear idea of your brand, you can run focus groups. You can also conduct surveys, asking your customers what they like in advertising. 

Listen to some classic jingles like 1-877-KARS-4-KIDS. Think about what your impression of the company is after you have listened to the jingle. Break down how the lyrics, beats, and rhythms of the jingle develop the brand, and think about how you can engage in a similar effort.

Research Jingles With Similar Messages

You are likely competing with at least one other business that has created a jingle. Listen to the jingles your competitors have made. 

It is okay if your jingle shares some characteristics with theirs, like a similar chord progression or beat. However, your jingle needs to have distinctive qualities, namely an original message. 

Once you’ve looked at your competitors, you should research businesses similar to yours in other geographic areas. Listen to what they do and take notes on the qualities in their jingles that you like. You should also brainstorm a few ways to distinguish your jingle, such as including descriptions of local landmarks.

Avoid Regurgitating Other Songs

Many people create jingles that are clearly inspired by popular songs. It is okay to take influence from a song that is at the top of the charts. 

But you should never take characteristics from popular songs and drop them in your jingle. You risk infringing on the songwriter’s copyright, which can lead to a lawsuit. 

You also risk making your jingle dated. Many pop songs fall off the charts after a few weeks, and you want your jingle to last longer than that. 

Select an Identifiable Genre

One of the best ways to develop your brand through your jingle is to pick a genre your audience would identify with. If you are a law firm, you may want to select a jingle based on classical music. If you sell land, you can make a country jingle that reminds your audience of the Wild West.

Feel free to look at subgenres as well. Trucking companies can make a truck-driving country jingle. 

Once you’ve selected a genre or subgenre you want to make a jingle in, you should do your research on the genre. Look to see if any of your competitors have made a jingle in your genre. If they have, you may want to select a different one so you can be more unique. 

Create a Strong Intro and Finish

Most jingles are 30 seconds or one minute long. You have to pack in a lot of information in a short period of time, but you can’t forget about having a strong introduction and conclusion. If you don’t hook your audience in, they won’t engage with your message. 

Many intros in jingles do not use lyrics, but catchy notes to draw your audience’s attention. Try to write a couple of catchy chords or an interesting melody. If your intro is really good, you can repeat it over the course of the song or as a conclusion. 

Your conclusion can be a call to action. After talking about your business, you can give your phone number so your customers know how to reach you. 

Write Effective Jingles for Commercials Today

Creating jingles for commercials means understanding a few different things. Each of your jingles should have a message that you contain within a catchy line. The jingle should develop your brand without contradicting previous marketing efforts. 

You should research other jingles, but your jingle should be its own product. Never replicate what pop songs are doing. Hook your audience in with a great melody at the start and then let them go with a call to action. 

Don’t create great jingles alone. Killerspots Agency helps Cincinnati businesses create jingles for commercials. Contact us today. 

Radio jingles are an iconic staple of advertising. They’ve been around since the beginning of radio, and always leave potential customers with a catchy tune in their head.

But there’s a lot that goes into making a good radio jingle besides a catchy tune. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how radio jingles are made, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve put together a detailed guide that goes through the radio jingle process from inception to airwaves. If you’d like to learn more, keep reading! 

History Of Radio Jingles

While radio technology had developed in the late 19th century, it was not until the turn of the 20th that it began to catch on with the public.

Starting around 1905, commercially-available radios were available for purchase. By 1920, radios were fairly common household items.

At this time, they were primarily used for news reports. The widespread commercial use of radio had still yet to be explored.

In 1926, General Mills was credited with creating the first radio jingle for their Wheaties cereal. It aired on Christmas Eve in the Minneapolis-St Paul area.

General Mills noticed something interesting: their sales skyrocketed, but only in the Twin Cities area. The jingle was successful as an advertising tactic, so they began broadcasting it in other areas, and sales followed.

The rest, as they say, is history. The use of radio jingles skyrocketed shortly afterward and became a staple of radio for decades to come. 

Interestingly, it’s not just companies that use radio jingles to advertise. Each radio station call sign (the 4-letter combination given to each station) has its own unique jingle, even today.

How Radio Jingles Are Made

Some people think that jingles are recorded in-house or at the radio station itself. But there is actually an entire industry that revolves around the creation of radio jingles.

Writing, recording, and producing a radio jingle is a specialized skill set that only a few professionals are really skilled in.

If you’re looking for a radio jingle for your business, make sure that you go with the pros. A bad jingle may be memorable for the wrong reasons. 

Figuring out a Target Audience

The part of how radio jingles are made is identifying who your customers are. Think of your jingle as a company’s audio logo. It forms a crucial part of a brand’s identity.

Identifying your customer base will ensure that you are getting your jingle played on the right stations at the right time. If you’re a hip young company, you may not want to air your jingle during a late-night talk radio show.

It will also help you to set the tone of your jingle. While all jingles are catchy, the instrumentation and vocals can communicate a wide range of “personalities” to your potential customers.

Writing a Hook/Catchphrase

Usually, the first part of making radio jingles is writing the hook. These are the words and melody that make up the vocal part of the jingle.

This is a lot harder than it seems. You have to convey the entire message of your jingle with just a few notes and words. 

Think about one of the most well-known jingles in the world: McDonald’s. You don’t even have to hear it without “I’m Lovin’ It” popping into your head.

That’s the power of a good hook. It’s simple, easy to remember, and catchy. This should encompass what your company is about.

If you have a tagline, you might already have a catchy hook. All you need is a melody to go with it. 

Typically, professional jingle writers are your best bet for crafting the perfect catchy hook.

Composing the Music

After the main hook is written, the rest of the score has to be filled in. This is very dependent on the overall tone of your jingles for the radio.

You wouldn’t want to pair old-timey orchestral instrumentation with a poppy, bright jingle. The instrumentals should match the tone and “vibe” of the melody.

Instrumentation is written out for each instrument that will be recorded. This includes guitar, bass, drums, keys, and other instruments.

A professional composer should be used at this point. If you are using studio musicians, you need the sheet music to be readable.

Some professional jingle writers can also write all of the instruments in a digital audio workstation. This can save you time and money on recording in a full studio with a band.

Booking the Studio

Regardless of whether you choose a full band or to just record vocals, you will need to book a recording studio.

It is important not to skimp on this step. A high-quality recording in a dedicated studio space will sound better and be much easier to mix and master later. 

Generally, studio time for radio jingles is not as extensive as recording a music album. 

However, you need to budget time for multiple takes. Vocalists often do upwards of fifty takes in the studio to get the perfect one. Live musicians will also need time to do several takes. 

Make sure that the audio engineer you work with knows what format your recordings need to be in. This is something you should consult with your mixing engineer with. 

They may want stems or full tracks. There is also the question of format, which can vary from studio to studio. 

Finding Musicians

If you are using live instruments for recording radio jingles, you are going to be in the market for studio musicians.

Studio musicians are dedicated professionals who are trained to learn music that other people have written and play it for recording.

They will be much more efficient and easier to work with than just hiring random musicians off of Craigslist. 

Most studio musicians will bring their own gear, although some studios have plenty of gear for use as well.

Make sure that the musicians fit the jingle’s sound. Ensure that they have quality sheet music or charts to work off of. This will make the recording process go much smoother.

Finding Vocalists

Finding an experienced jingle singer is probably the most important part of the recording process. 

Different vocalists have different styles and vocal qualities. Most professional jingle singers will have portfolios available of past work, so make sure they will fit the sound.

If the jingle ad also has a voice-over, think about hiring a separate narrator. Usually, narrators are a separate specialty from jingle singers. 

Recording Process

Once everyone is in the studio, it is a matter of setting up microphones and recording the tracks.

Generally, the musicians will track first, and then the vocalists will add their work on top.

At this point, lean on the expertise of the jingle writer who will be producing the session, and the audio engineer who records it.

They will be able to pull out the best performances from the musicians and vocalists.

As mentioned, the recording process may take several hours, even with an experienced team. This is crucial for getting the best results for a jingle. 

The recording studio session is a key part of how radio jingles are made. Make sure that expectations are clear and that everything is planned in advance. A smooth session is the best session. 

Mixing and Mastering

After the tracks are recorded, your jingle enters the mixing phase. This is where your jingle producer or an experienced mixing engineer will treat the tracks with some studio magic and expertise.

Even the best raw recordings in the world will still need to be mixed, so this step should not be rushed. A good mix will ensure that every part sounds good and that the overall sound is perfectly balanced.

After the initial mixing is finished, your jingle will be mastered. Mastering is a special process that balances the mix to sound good on all kinds of sound systems including car stereos and cheap earbuds.

At the end of this process, you will generally receive multiple versions of your jingle.

It is not uncommon to get a full package: acapella vocals, instrumentals, a full radio spot, and just the hook. Each track will be mixed and mastered perfectly and be ready to send to the radio stations for use.

Using Your Jingle

After you get your masters back, you will need to send them to the radio stations in the markets you are targeting.

This involves paying the station an advertising fee in order to have your jingle played. Some stations will charge by length, while others will charge per play. 

Generally, you own all of the licensing rights to your jingle after the recording process is finished.

Some jingle producers will ask for a cut of the profits, while others offer all-inclusive packages. Make sure to check beforehand.

In addition to radio play, you can also use your jingle in TV commercials and online streaming platforms. This will really help you get your money’s worth out of your jingle!

What Makes a Good Radio Jingle?

Obviously, there is quite a bit of work and expertise that goes into how radio jingles are made.

If you want the best radio jingle possible, you’ll want to go with a professional.

Luckily, we offer a whole host of advertising services, including the best award-winning jingle writing and production in the business.

Check out our list of services, and please feel free to contact us at 1-800-639-9728.

With marketing strategies becoming outdated almost immediately after they pop up, radio jingles have withstood the test of time. Ever since1926, when the concept first came to light, radio advertising jingles have been central to marketing campaigns.

But don’t mistake jingles for slogans or a song with the company name or motto, though. The best marketing jingles create brand awareness by staying in the listener’s head long after hearing them.

Out of all the radio jingles ever produced, these ten are the most effective marketing and are worth recognition in 2021.

1. Oscar Mayer, “I Wish I Was an Oscar Mayer Weiner”

The Oscar Mayer Weiner jingle is one of the old radio station jingles from 1965. It was part of a nationwide campaign to market the franchise hotdogs to as many people as possible. Written by Richard Tentlage, the tune became an instant hit among kids and adults at the time.

While the jingle was only in audio format when airing for the first time, its huge success led to the production of a TV commercial. Today, the video has over a million views on YouTube, and even the current generation knows it word for word.

There have been remixes of the Oscar Mayer jingle over the years. One performed by a metal band, the other by a barbershop quartet, and even a singing parrot. Either way, the “I wish I was an Oscar Mayer Weiner” jingle continues to dominate the minds of all its listeners.

2. McDonalds, “I’m Lovin It”

During the early 2000s when McDonald’s stock was plummeting there was a re-think of their marketing strategy. In 2003 they had Tom Batoy and Frank Tortora to help them develop a radio jingle that would change the company’s fortunes and their lives.

After the jingle first aired, people couldn’t stop singing the lyrics – “ba-da-ba-baa-baa,” and the jingle became an instant hit. The fact that Justin Timberlake and Pharell Williams, two pop icons hopped on the track fueled its popularity massively.

And although the campaign was to last two years only, the jingle still dominates the airwaves and people’s minds. By 2020, this jingle was in 11 different languages, with five different commercial videos created around it.

3. Kit Kat, “Give Me a Break”

Kit Kat, the popular milk chocolate manufacturing company was not so famous until the release of this jingle. According to Michael A Lavine, one of the writers of the jingle lyrics, “Give me a Break” was to be a backup in case the main jingle flopped, but it ended up standing out more among audiences.

“Give me a break, give me a break, break me a piece of that kit kat bar,” as the lyrics suggest has had people eating kit kat all over America. Even though the original radio ad has undergone modification with celebrities like Chance the Rapper coming in, the slogan remains the same.

Considering the jingle first debuted in 1986, and 564 Kit Kat are consumed each second worldwide, it’s clear that this marketing jingle continues to deliver.

4. Band-Aid, “I’m Stuck on a Band-Aid”

” I am stuck on a Band-Aid because a Band-Aid is stuck on me” are the lyrics to this famous jingle. It was written by Barry Manilow, who is popular for several hit jingles, including the brains behind state farms jingle “like a good neighbor” in 1975.

After partnering with Johnson & Johnson to come up with this masterpiece, both parties benefited from its release. The giant band-aid supplier sold more band-aids than ever before, and barry won the Young & Rubicam a CILO award for the song in 1976.

While there are other marketing campaigns, including the current one featuring a ballet dancer who uses a band-aid to stitch up her feet after a performance with the slogan “Stick With It,” none has come close to matching the band-aid anthem.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the company earned 247.5 million in revenue during the 2017 year calendar.

5. “I Don’t Want to Grow Up, I’m a Toys-R-Us Kid”

Toys R Us, the famous kids’ toy company released this jingle as a radio advertisement in 1982. Written by best-selling author James Patterson in collaboration with Linda Kaplan, the jingle is among the widely recognized to date.

The theme of the jingle begins with kids playing with different toys from the company while singing the song. I Don’t Want To Grow Up, I’m a Toys R Us kid. The video creatively portrays video games, bikes, trains, and even teddy bears without seeming too salesly.

Whether you’re a child or an adult, this jingle makes you feel like never growing up because of the comfort of toys. The tune recurs in your mind for quite some time and those who hear it, still remember the song days or weeks after.

What’s more, since the company almost closed its door in 2017, it re-took this slogan as their main advertisement to boost their sales, which worked.

6. State Farm, “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There”

State Farm is one of the leading insurance providers in the country, thanks to a successful marketing campaign. The driving force behind it? That’s right, the radio ad Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is there”. 

The slogan, first released in 1971 as part of the insurance initial marketing campaign, turned out to be the key to people’s hearts and pockets. It depicts the various challenges people experience while at home and how insurance can help solve these problems.

While there have been different versions of the jingle throughout the years, including one in 2010 and more recently last year, all versions maintain the melody.

State Farm has undoubtedly reaped big for 30 years from jingle, and nothing current seems to suggest it will stop anytime soon.

7. Huggies, “I’m a Big Kid Now”

Huggies Pull-ups are a popular diaper option and at one point overtaken pampers as the market commander. This is thanks to the I’m a Big Kid Now audio that was played in almost every jingle radio station nationwide after its release.

Produced in 1990, the jingle has taken many other forms since, but the core message of I’m a Big Kid Now remains. In the latest Huggies advertisement, a child confidently sings the song I’m a big kid now to their mom as they use the potty.

Currently, Huggies Pull-ups owns about 22% of the diaper market share and is synonymous with this famous radio jingle. And while there may be other jingle campaigns to come, few will match the clout this slogan continues to bring the brand even today.

8. Alka Seltzer, “Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz”

The Alka Seltzer jingle was created in the 50s but didn’t air until the mid-’70s. When the company first started, it advocated using one tablet instead of two to treat stomach illnesses. But as they would quickly realize, this was a catastrophe for disaster.

Many people who consumed the tablet for their stomach irritation problems still experienced the problem later. This forced a re-think, and doctors recommended users take two tablets instead of one at a go for the medication to work.

To popularize this finding, the company launched the Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz campaign that aimed to educate the consumer about usage. It depicts the sound of two tablets landing in a cup of water, and then producing the fizzing sound – thus Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz.

The jingle marked 75 years this year, and Alka Seltzer celebrated the jingle as one of their best in history and held a contest in honor.

9. Folgers, “The Best Part of Waking Up”

For over 30 years, Folgers, one of the leading coffee makers in the country used this tune in their radio advertisements. The song first debuted in jingle radio stations as audio in the late 1950s before the TV commercial appeared in 1984.

Written by the talented Leslie Pearl, the composition has a cover in almost every music genre you can think of. From country to gospel, R&B, folk, Celtic, and even jazz with superstars like Rockapella, Aretha Franklin in the remixes. 

While the jingle earns hefty royalties to date, Folgers decided to auction it up to the highest bidder after three decades of dominance. It is yet to be seen what the current owner will make from the jingle, but one thing is for sure, The Best Part of Waking Up lives in our minds.

10. Meow Mix

Meow Mix is a creative jingle created by Tom McFaul in 1974 to popularize Ralton Purina cat food products. The video typically shows cats enjoying their food while another sings along to the tune before ending with the slogan – “Tastes so good, cats ask for it by the name.”

After 20 years of using the jingle in different commercials but maintaining the original melody, the company decided to retire the song. However, due to market demand, they have since relaunched and dubbed it Meow Re-Mix.

The Best Radio Jingles in 2021

These are the top ten radio jingles in 2021. Some are more recent, while others are slightly older. However, all have had an impact on the minds of individuals across the country and world.

There’s no denying it, jingles are still a large part of marketing, and companies could do better if they utilize them well.

Contact us today to create a jingle for your business that will outlast the present and future generations.

If the saying “I’m lovin’ it” feels familiar and reminds you of McDonald’s, it’s because an effective radio ad worked its magic on you. 

Radio jingles have been used since 1926 when Wheaties cereal recognized the mass potential of radio advertising. They aired the first-ever radio jingle and ever since then radio advertisement has often relied on catchy, can’t-miss-them songs. 

Radio ads have relied on this method for a few different reasons. Radio songs and jingles help listeners remember a brand name and set the tone for the company. 

They also engage customers and help create a specific mood that customers associate with the brand, even years later. 

Even if a product is not something a customer would normally use, they will still remember that product’s advertising jingle. They may even sing it or bring it up in conversation with others. 

If a company has the money they may even shell out big money for famous singers and actors to be part of their campaign, which only boosts sales and spreads their popularity. 

For that reason, radio jingles are a permanent part of our culture. Read on to learn about the top 10 jingles that have resonated with audiences over the years. 

1. Nationwide 

This jingle is at the top of the list for good reason. Nationwide insurance first premiered their famous “nationwide is on your side” jingle in 1965 and it has resonated with audiences ever since. 

The jingle tells customers that they can trust their brand and that they will be taken care of. The tone of the voice singing is also reassuring, comforting, and everything a customer would want to feel from an insurance company. 

The jingle is still so popular today that the company continues to use it. Most recently sultry, popular singer Jill Scott covered the jingle to give the tune a modern feel. It has certainly come a long way since the first version of the jingle. 

2. McDonald’s

“Ba da ba ba baaa, I’m lovin it!”

This jingle is so catchy that most people everywhere would be able to recognize it. That’s because McDonald’s launched this ad worldwide and translated it into 11 different languages. 

Part of this was because famous pop star Justin Timberlake was tied to the song. The singer, who originally rose to fame with the pop group NSYNC, could be heard crooning the jingle during both television and radio commercials.

McDonald’s spent the money to take the ad as far as it could go and it showed. The jingle could be heard everywhere you went, whether it was on television, the radio, or showing as an ad at an event or sports game.  

McDonald’s eventually registered “I’m lovin’ it” as a trademark and continue to use the slogan to this day. It’s still the longest-running campaign in McDonald’s history. 

3. Ricola

Hearing the drawn-out “Riiiiiicolaaaaaaa” probably brings to mind the scenery of a swiss hillside. That’s because this jingle’s campaign was as effective on television as it was on the radio. 

The cough drop company first used this ad campaign in Germany and Switzerland in 1993 and it was so popular that they eventually released it in other countries. This led to a huge increase in brand awareness that was ultimately quite profitable. 

The television commercial often featured a yodeler, mountainous hills, and people coughing followed by popping a Ricola into their mouth. The iconic jingle is used in their advertising to this day.

4. Rice Krispies 

This popular jingle remains as effective as it ever was, even today. 

It’s so popular that in 2020 Kellog’s released a full-length single featuring the three Rice Krispy elf mascots singing a modern pop version of the song. This song is even available on Spotify! 

The song also got a very rock and roll makeover by the world-famous rock band The Rolling Stones a few years before they became a household name.

Then-bandmember Brian Jones wrote the tune and it was their take on the famous “Snap! Crackle! Pop! Rice Krispies!” lyrics with an edgier twist. 

5. Lucky Charms

Lucky Charms has always run a popular ad campaign for plenty of reasons, but it was their “They’re magically delicious!” slogan that has stuck in people’s memories for years. 

Lucky Charms has always created effective television commercials featuring their leprechaun mascot, Lucky, as he tries to protect his precious bowl of cereal from the kids trying to eat it. 

Their advertising was so successful that it’s recognizable beyond just the main catchphrase.

Many people can recognize the part of the ad that details the eight different marshmallow shapes and colors in the cereal as well. The jingle behind the words is lighthearted and mimics the sound often heard in daytime cartoons for kids. 

6. Spaghetti-O’s

This very popular jingle was loosely based on a 1950s love song by Jimmie Rodgers, “Uh-Oh I’m Falling In Love Again.”

The Spaghetti-O’s jingle is so memorable that it became a regular part of American vernacular that had nothing to do with canned food and is sometimes still heard today.

Locked your keys in your car? Maybe you managed to spill water all over your paperwork. Your first response might have been to say, “Uh oh, spaghetti-o’s.”

This slogan boosted sales for the company and it is still one of the most-bought canned foods today. 

7. State Farm

State Farm Insurance has run such a competitive and brilliant ad campaign for years now that nearly anyone would be able to place where the ad came from if they heard it. 

Their jingle slogan, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” is not only memorable because of the words, but the actual music underneath the lyrics is catchy and rhythmic. The music on its own makes listeners want to hum and repeat it. 

When they employed actor J.K. Simmons to read the slogan during television and radio commercials it permanently cemented itself into cultural history. 

State Farm used this slogan from 1971 until they retired it in 2016, but it remains as memorable as ever. 

The words of the slogan successfully painted the exact right picture; a company that would watch out for them, as a neighbor might. 

For all these reasons, State Farm’s jingle remains one of the most memorable jingles of all time. 

8. Campbell’s

If you were born after 1930, chances are you grew up hearing the all-too-familiar “Mm-Mm, good, mm-mm good” jingle all about soup. 

The television commercial featuring this jingle often aired during after-school hours to ensure that kids would be able to see it and, in turn, ask mom to buy the Campbell’s soup next time she made a trip to the grocery store. It also played on the radio. 

This jingle was catchy enough that Campbell’s revived it in the early 2000s when sales were dropping. The jingle carries a certain nostalgia that connects with customers even in a day and age where canned soup isn’t as popular as it once was. 

9. Kit Kat

Kit Kat hit it big when they released their famous jingle in 1986. This iconic jingle almost compels listeners to finish the lyrics themselves when they hear it because it’s so catchy. 

In a strange turn of events, this jingle was not meant to be the original choice for Kit Kat’s advertisements. It was a “throwaway piece” according to the song’s composer, Michael A. Levine.  

As the story goes, the ad agency for Kit Kat presented this now-famous jingle as a secret “no” option because they couldn’t present just one song to their client. The jingle audiences all know and love now was never supposed to be famous the way it is today. 

But, luckily for Kit Kat, it ended up working out big for the company anyway! 

10. Toys R Us

The Toys R Us ad campaign is brilliant in that not only did it employ the use of a hard-to-forget jingle, but it was targeted at impressionable and receptive kids. 

The melodic “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid” jingle was heard everywhere in the 1980s and 1990s whether it was on television or the radio. 

The company managed to make being a “Toys R Us kid” synonymous with being a kid lucky enough to get toys from their parents.

Every child wants toys and every child wants the same toys their friends have or better ones than their friends have. The jingle created a sense of being in an exclusive toy club.

While Toys R Us eventually closed all its retail stores in 2018, their iconic jingle remains one of the most popular in culture to this day.

Create Radio Jingles for Your Business Today 

After reading all about radio jingles, it should be clear why a memorable marketing strategy is so effective. 

Creating a catchy jingle, video, or other forms of advertising can make or break a business. If you’re looking to create a catchy campaign for your business and have ever wondered “how much does a radio ad cost?” Killer Spots Agency has answers for you.

Browse through their advertising services and find out about the many ways that you can boost your business today. 

When it comes to running a business in the 21st century, brand recognition is one of the most important things to take into consideration. If you want customers, you’re going to need leads, and if you want leads, you’re going to need to get recognized. 

Almost everyone considers advertising, and we all know the importance of merchandise. But have you thought about coming up with a company jingle? 

Your brain might automatically think that company jingles are old and dated, but check out this list of the most memorable advertising jingles. Some of them aren’t even very musical, just rhythmic and melodic phrases that stick in people’s heads.

No doubt, you recognize all of these corporate jingles. It doesn’t take long for this recognition to turn into good times you spent with the product. That is the power of brand recognition. 

Whereas most advertising works on a purely visual level, a jingle allows you to infiltrate people’s brains sonically. You can effectively dominate your local cultural consciousness by branching out to other forms of advertising.

This article will walk you through all you need to know to create the best company jingles. 

Phase One: Research

Our auditory associations are highly generational and cultural. Because of this, companies looking for jingles need to make sure they know which market they’re targetic. 

What generations of people are coming into your business or calling you up? — are they a younger crowd, or older? You don’t want to create a jingle that calls to mind Engelbert Humperdinck if your audience is all under the age of 21. Conversely, you don’t want to drop the newest Travis Scott song on a bunch of elderly people. 

For young people, make sure you keep up with social media trends, so you can stay relevant. 

But that’s all you need to get specific about. 

Language is extremely specific to the way we live our lives. Language is how we imagine, build and structure our world. You need to tangle the language if your company jingles to your demographic as well.  

You’re not going to want to use a lot of slang if you’re addressing technical professionals. You’re also not going to want to be too cold if you’re shooting for a more casual crowd. 

Phase Two: Get the Music Right

Once you know what sort of music you’re going to be making for your jingle, you have to hammer out the music and get it right. Make sure you work closely with any jingle-writers that you hire to get exactly what you want. Always choose to work with someone who’s willing to co-operate; it’s your business after all.

(Speaking of which, unless you’ve had some serious musical training, don’t try to write your own jingle. In all likelihood, it won’t go very well. The songs are short, but the music is much more complicated than it seems.) 

You have to keep your jingle simple, poppy, easy to remember, and easy to sing. Now is not the time to show off your love for the avant-garde jazz styling of Eric Dolphy. The ultimate test as to whether or not your jingle is working is whether or not people are willing to sing it back.

The thing is, it doesn’t even need to be technically good; it can even be extremely annoying like the Fanta ad, and it will work. 

For the most part, you’re going to want to stay in a major key. The melody should be so simple that you can rework it into several different concepts. Just think about all of the varying ways the Nationwide jingle has been played. 

Phase Three: Get the Lyrics Perfect

You have to get the music right, but you have to get the lyrics more right. In the case of a jingle, the music is just the vehicle you’re serving up a lyric in. 

What should your lyrics be?

Well, for one, they should not be the modernist poetic stylings of Wallace Stevens. They should be short, repetitive, child-like, simplistic, they should stick in your head like gum to the bottom of a table. You might only get one shot to capture the hearts, minds, and imaginations of your audience; make sure you aim well. 

Make sure you use rhyme. People remember rhymes. That’s why they’re so popular in almost every form of popular music. 

Make use of assonance as well. Words that sound alike, that start with the same sounds, that flow together rhythmically like drum hits. All of this can only serve to help people remember you. 

In your lyrics, don’t be afraid to get corny. There’s no such thing as a “cheap” sale, so why should there be “cheap” lyrics? Feel free to use puns, silliness, pop-culture reference, and sentimentality to your advantage; people eat these things up. 

Speaking of sentimentality, don’t forget to suggest a relationship. Don’t be afraid to tell your customers exactly what you provide, and exactly what their relationship to you is. On our list of the greatest ad jingles, we list Toys R Us, who did a wonderful job of getting straight to kids’ hearts. 

One of the reasons they did so well is because, years later, when those kids were grown up, their sentimental attachment to those songs made them share the product with their kids. Which is a sweet moment that means more business. 

Phase Four: Come Up With a Few Options

There’s a reason why musicians do several takes of songs, why movies end up with deleted scenes, and authors go through many drafts of the same scene. You’re stepping into the world of art here, and things aren’t always as cut and try as they seem. As a businessperson, you might just want to pay for the product and get the job done, but it isn’t as simple as that. 

When it comes to creativity, everything is a matter of taste. You might be disappointed by how annoying the jingle your writer came up with is, only to find yourself whistling it in bed at night. Inversely, you might love a jingle, but never be able to remember how it goes. 

This is why it’s important to get several options. Bring your team in and have them listen to all of them. Then give yourself some time to sit and think about which jingle works the best.

Heck, you can even call a meeting a week later and ask your team which jingle has stuck in their head the most. This is a great, scientific way to choose a jingle. 

If you can afford to, it might serve you well to hire several jingle writers. As long as the musicians/company jingle maker is getting paid, and you’re not using any of their music without their permission, they’ll happy to work for you, even if you don’t end up using their song. Session musicians record songs that never see the light of day popular musicians all the time. 

The point is, you need to think outside of the box when it comes to jingles. You’re not going to get 100 percent of the way by hammering it out with facts and logic. You’re going to need to get a little strange. 

Phase Five/Six: Test It Out/Refine

A good business person knows that to succeed, you’re going to have to fail. Some of the most successful business people of all time tanked their first companies abysmally. 

When your jingle hits the air, don’t rest on your auditory laurels. Get out there in the world. Listen to the way your song sounds coming out over the radio, after a song in a Spotify ad, in-between shoes in a commercial, etc; it’s one thing to hear it in the comfort of your office, another to hear it amongst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

The hustle and bustle of life is where your jingle is going to have to shine. It needs to cut through the raw fabric of life. Does it sound good, catchy, reliable in this context? 

Take note of whether or not people hum along to the song, or seem to have it caught in their heads afterward. Take note of whether they’re talking about the jingle or not. It’s a good sign even if they’re making fun of your ad or calling it annoying; mimicry means repetition, and repetition means recognition. 

If your jingle isn’t catching, that’s alright. You can use one of your alternate takes, or refine your current one. The more you fail, the closer you get to success. 

Create the Best and Brightest Company Jingle That No One Can Forget

Human beings are creatures of symbol, language, associations, sound. If we’re going to remember a business, we’re going to remember it because of a symbol that’s attached to it; an image, some language, or a song. A company jingle allows you to combine language with songwriting for the purposes of your company. 

Now that you know the six phases of creating a great jingle, there’s nothing stopping you from dominating the business world. 

For more information, contact us today. 

A truly successful jingle is a triumph of marketing. It can propel unknown companies into household names, embedding itself in the minds of whole generations. Yet the simple jingle is a hard concept to get right.

If you are thinking of writing your own advertising music, it may help to have some guidance before you begin. We give you our top tips from our team of staff experts on how to write a jingle. 

Leverage the Sonic Logo

The world is filled with sonic anaphones, though many people do not understand what they are. The three notes that rang out on the Intel adverts? The sweeping tones that play as your X Box boots up?

These are sonic anaphones, more commonly known as a sonic logo. They could never be described as a melody as they are too short. They very seldom have lyrics, and if they do they are barely a company name. 

However, they manage to sum up a company in the choice of notes and musical elements they are combined with. These clever, short sounds that represent your company can be dropped in subliminally and without notice. A good sonic logo is a powerful marketing tool when used within a jingle. 

Match your Genre to Your Audience

To accomplish this, you need to first find out your audience. If you are at the stage of producing a jingle, you probably already know this. If not, do some marketing before you begin and consult the public. 

Once you have this, match the genre of your jingle to your consumer. Are they young and energetic? Then consider a dance or hip hop based jingle.

Applying the same logic, your genre must also reflect your brand and advertising aesthetic. If a product is aimed at a rural audience, you may consider country music. It could be that you are composing for a high tech, state of the art company that needs sleek, electronic synth-based music to reflect this.

Choosing the Correct Musical Elements

Once you have matched the genre, you need to concentrate on your musical elements. These are additional components that make up a piece of music. The dynamics, instrument choice, tempo, and other elements all add to the overall feel.

As an example, a jingle to promote a relaxation product would need to be soft, with a slow tempo and gentle string instruments. Banging drums and blaring brass sections would not reflect the product that was being offered. Brainstorm the adjectives you would use to describe your company and make sure it is reflected in the music. 

Research Competitor Jingles

It is very likely that your competitors already have a catchy tune composed by a jingle writer. If they don’t, you are already one step ahead of them. Listen to their advertising and write down the successful and less successful parts of their jingle.

You now have two choices. Either go with something that matches the theme and tone that they have created, or go for something totally different.

A different jingle would set you aside from competitors. However, the downside could be that it does not match your company image and alienates your customer base.

Write Lyrics that Sell your Product

Lyrics are extremely hard to write. You want to write something poignant and meaningful without being overly cliche or cheesy. Luckily, you are writing a jingle and not a song.

With a jingle, you need to sell your product, then sell it some more. Let people know what you do, how you do it, and why they need the product. Tell them the problem you can solve and what they are missing out on if they do not take part. 

Think of all the memorable jingles from TV and radio. Every one of them is over the top.

How to Write a Jingle with a Killer Hook

This part is slightly harder. You need to have a killer hook that people will be singing all day long. On top of that, it needs to reflect the business image and needs.

For this, utilize musical intervals. An interval is a gap between the notes on a piano. Each one imparts a different meaning in the ear of the listener. 

Action films always include an interval of a perfect fifth, because it makes the listener’s brain think of strength and power. One key difference and you can be summoning up thoughts of malicious evil and devil worship, so choose them carefully.

Use interval combinations that reflect your aesthetic within your hook writing. The simpler you can get it, the more impact it will have. 

Record More Than One

When you create your jingle, especially if it is for a client, always have more than one idea. You may think you have written the greatest advertising music ever, but others may think differently. Ask the opinion of several unbiased people which they think is best.

Once you have narrowed it down to one idea, you can begin to flesh out the rest of your parts. You can begin to tighten the lyrics, add extra instruments, and turn the advertising world upside down. 

Still Struggling?

Are you still struggling with how to write a jingle? It is not as easy as you would believe and sometimes it may help to just hire an expert. We have a wide range of options in radio and TV production that would be a great fit for your business.

Message us and book a consultation or ask for advice today. Alternatively, visit our blog for more information on how to write a jingle and get started today.

Flirting the line between adorably infectious and downright annoying, the advertising jingle is a thing of beauty. It can propel a product from an unknown commodity to a household name in just a few lines.

Everyone has their favorite advertising jingles. From childhood classics to modern marketing music, we countdown the nine most memorable advertising jingles from TV and Radio.

Chicken Tonight

Not only was this a smash hit jingle, but it also came with its own absurd dance routine. It involved running around a kitchen while flapping your arms like a chicken. How could it fail?

Combined with a video that showed families taking part and singing, it ticked every box. From the young child to the father who had just arrived home from work, this clever marketing move and a catchy hook propelled this humble jar of sauce into the kitchens of millions. 

Klondike

Carrying on the theme of being slightly silly, we now ask the question “What would you do for a Klondike bar?”. A simple but catchy melody that poses a question, then answers it in the TV advertisements. A slightly zany cast would perform absurd tasks all in the hope of getting their hands on the chocolate-covered ice cream.

Once the jingle was established, the advertisers really capitalized on the idea by swapping the staged actors for members of the public. This just proved that people would actually do some really odd stuff for free confectionery. 

Green Giant

This one is not so much a jingle as a short melody. However, it has been around since the fifties and is the zenith of old commercials. A descending phrase from the titular green giant juxtaposes against the choral song of gentle female voices. 

All of this, combined with the cartoon advertisement, gives a feel of rural relaxation to the product. Not bad for the less than exciting concept of packaging vegetables. Green Giant is just one of those unforgettable advertising tunes. 

Toys R Us

Who would not want to be a Toys R Us kid? This jingle was sweet, energetic, and hit all the right buttons. It made children want to visit the store and made parents hark back nostalgically to a simpler time. 

Depending on what side of the pond you live on, your Toy R Us jingle can be very different. Ask anyone in the UK to sing the Toy R Us theme and you will get a rising melody that tells you “It’s called Toys R Us!”.

Oscar Mayer

Do you ever wish you were an Oscar Mayer Weiner? This radio jingle would have made you think so. It was a brand awareness triumph by the sausage making giants, known by literally everyone in America.

Combined with a cute, Peanuts animation style TV commercial, the jingle was not so much a song as a playground chant. Echoed in the cartoon, it would be easy to imagine children stomping around the playground calling out this melody. 

Even more amazing is the fact that the jingle was cobbled together in less than an hour. It was composed not in the boardroom of a marketing firm but by a banjo player outside Illinois. 

Coca Cola

Never one to do anything in half measures, Coca Cola wrote a full pop song for their jingles in the seventies. ‘I Would Like to Buy The World a Coke’ was accompanied by a peace and love themed video that had a multi-ethnic cast singing in perfect harmony. They were named the Hillside Singers and of course, did it all while drinking Cola. 

The song was later reworded to ‘I Would Like to Teach the World to Sing’ and released by The New Seekers. It became a major hit across the world. What could be better advertising than having your jingle in the charts?

McDonalds

Following in Coca Cola’s footsteps, though a long time after, came Mcdonalds. Based on a German advertising campaign, they took the short refrain of ‘I’m Lovin It’ as their new slogan and supercharged the humble concept.

This was in the form of pop superstar Justin Timberlake, who was reportedly paid six million dollars to sing the track. With the assistance of super producers The Neptunes, the jingle became a fully-fledged pop song. 

Band Aid

Not to be confused with the eighties charity supergroup of the same name, the Band-Aid jingle literally stuck in the mind of Americans because…well…Band-Aid was stuck on them. A catchy, two-line melody that was sung by a varied cast usually enjoying outdoor pursuits. This showed its universal appeal and added fun to a product primarily concerned with safety. 

It often tops lists of the greatest commercial jingles and made it a staple in first aid kits around the country for years to come. 

Folgers

No commercial jingle on this list has the power that the Folgers jingle does. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup, especially when that coffee is accompanied by an eighties power ballad.

The TV commercials and song are always very cleverly in sync. Rising like the morning sun, the crescendo is placed right at the end, always in time with someone rolling out of bed and drinking their first coffee of the day.

Which Advertising Jingles Did We Forget?

With so many classic radio jingle out there and more coming all the time, it is hard to be heard and remembered. If you need to stand out then check out our radio and advertising jingle services for your business needs. 

Which advertising jingles do you remember that were not on the list? Let us know in the comments below

Are you struggling to keep your company top of mind for customers? Wish there was a way to better communicate your brand and its unique offerings, and captivate audiences everywhere? Then you may want to write a jingle!

Not sure what a jingle is, or how you should approach writing one? Intimidated by the idea of embarking on such a creative venture? We’re here to help!

In this article, we’re sharing the ins-and-outs of creating a killer jingle. So, you can write a catchy tune that sticks with customers long after they’ve listened.

What Is a Jingle?

When you hear of a certain brand, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the song in the commercial, the catchy one that speaks to what the brand is and what they do. Like carpet cleaning company Stanley Steemer commercial tune: “Call 1—800 STANLEY-STEEMER, Stanley Steemer keeps your home cleaner!”

That song is a jingle, which is a radio or TV advertisement set to a memorable melody or tune. A jingle is usually explicitly written about a brand and its products or services. And its sole purpose is to tell customers about a brand in a way they’ll remember.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to what to include in a jingle. The jingle lyrics can include a slogan, a phone number, a business name, or even a description of the services they offer. Anything is fair game.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Jingle?

Now that you know what a jingle is, you’re probably wondering why you’d invest in creating one. Here are some of the major benefits of using a jingle for your advertising efforts.

They’re Easy to Remember

With so many companies and services out there today, it can be hard to stay top of mind for customers. But with a good jingle, you can stick in their head all day and have people consciously (and subconsciously) speak about your business.

Jingles can help you communicate your brand and value in a fun, memorable way. With one, you can be the first company customers think of when they’re in need of a particular product or service.

They Build Up Your Brand

A great jingle does more than make your brand memorable—it makes it fun and accessible. Jingles make brands approachable and can help communicate your brand voice and tone in a more effective way than print advertising. A lighthearted jingle can make customers feel good, and in turn, may make them want to engage with you and your brand.

They’re Cost-Effective

Advertising can be expensive—especially if your products or services are ever-expanding or changing. Jingles can help you establish a brand baseline that you can build upon for all your advertising efforts. So, when changes are necessary, you can simply tweak a line or two to reflect your new offering without losing what makes your jingle special.

Tips on Writing a Jingle

Jingles can be incredibly effective —when done right. Unfortunately, it’s easy to write a jingle that turns off customers or makes them think poorly of your brand. Fortunately, if you follow these tips you can ensure your jingle is fun, memorable, and making a positive impact on your business.

1. Know Your Product

To write a great jingle, you need to know what your product is, and what makes it unique. Before you start to write, jot down a list of everything you think a customer needs to know about your products. Be sure to lead with all of its unique or special attributes as these are the things that will resonate most with customers.

2. Know Your Competitors

Another thing you’ll want to do before writing is to study your competitors. Do any of them have jingles? How do they differentiate themselves from others or position their unique selling points? 

It’s important to know these things if you want to create a jingle that’s distinctly yours. The last thing you want is an advertisement that brings your competitors to mind. So, do your homework in advance and create a jingle that can stand above your competitors.

3. Make It Simple

The best jingles are simple and easy to remember. They use repetition and rhyme and keep the language simple. Remember that recall is the most important part of a jingle—so focus on simplicity first and foremost and avoid using flowery words or jargon.

Figures of speech can be a fun and effective way to make your jargon simple and snappy. Try to incorporate puns, hyperbole, and even similes to make your song unique and effective.

Keep in mind: your jingle should be simple enough that anyone can recite and understand what it’s communicating. Be sure to choose your words wisely and err on the side of simplicity. And make sure it ties into your overarching brand story.

4. Listen to Famous Jingles

It sounds simple, but you can’t write a great jingle without knowing what one sounds like. Take some time to scour the Internet and listen to as many as jingles you can. Think about which ones work and which ones don’t, and why that may be the case.

Analyze some of the most famous jingles—ones like Fanta and Kit Kat. What makes them a success? What do they say about the brand, and how does the jingle effectively communicate their brand offering? By knowing what works about these jingles, you can better write your own.

5. Choose the Right Music

When it comes to a jingle, the music is just as important as the lyrics. The music and tempo have to be appropriate so the jingle can easily be sung by the voiceover artist (and whoever is listening along). And it should be in whatever music genre that would gel most with your target audience.

Additionally, if you plan to use an existing tune, be sure to make sure you’re legally able to do so. No one wants a nasty legal battle because of a jingle.

Ready to Write a Jingle?

Writing a jingle can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never written one before. But it’s not impossible if you work at it! By following the tips in this article, you can write a memorable jingle that customers will remember for years to come.

Looking for more help? Check out our jingle production services!

Do you feel like your market is having trouble remembering your company’s name? 

Have sales numbers been lagging as of late? 

Are you concerned that your current marketing strategy just isn’t as effective as you’d hoped? 

Maybe the solution isn’t to invest in social media influencers or spend hours writing blog posts that might not even get read. Instead, why not consider writing a catchy jingle for your company?

Jingles appeal to everyone, help people to remember your information, and they don’t have to get updated to get with the times. 

Just think about some of the catchy commercial songs you remember from decades ago!

Read on for a list of the most popular commercial jingles ever, and get some serious inspiration for how to come up with an awesome jingle of your own. 

1. Kars 4 Kids

Interested in donating your car? 

If so, then you already know to call Kars 4 Kids, a nonprofit who helps to fund childhood education using cash from selling used vehicles — even those in rough shape. 

The jingle is incredibly catchy, and it also includes the organization’s phone number and a brief description of the services they offer.

Effective jingles do exactly that — and it helps that the commercial also features children playing the instruments for the jingle themselves. 

2. The Oscar Meyer Song

No list of catchy jingles would be complete without a mention of what is arguably the most famous jingle of all time: 

The Oscar Meyer song.  

The celebrated jingle was written in just an hour in 1962, and spurred many contests, imitations, and of course, sales for the company. 

One of the biggest reasons for its success? 

It was written by experienced jingle composer Richard Trentlage, who also created jingles for V8 and McDonald’s. 

3. Empire Today Carpet

If you need your carpet cleaned, chances are you already know exactly who you’re going to call: 

Empire Today. 

The familiar “800-588” scale jingle gets stuck in your head almost immediately, and the bouncing animations of grey-haired men cleaning the carpet help it to stick around.

Jingles that include contact information are especially beneficial to smaller, niche businesses.

4. Huggies Diapers

With children everywhere desperate to prove to their parents that they’re “big kids now,” it’s no wonder that the Huggies pull-ups diaper’s jingle took off the way it did. 

Plus, combine a catchy tune with adorable videos of babies waddling around, and you’ve got a recipe for instant success. The jingle is still used today, and has helped make Huggies one of the most popular diaper and baby brands of all time. 

5. The Kit Kat Jingle

If you’re in need of a “break,” the Kit Kat’s commercial jingles urge you to find someone who will break you off a piece of their candy. 

The jingle has been a popular hit since 1986, and usually features images of someone snapping off a delicious chunk of a Kit Kat bar. Chances are good that you won’t be able to resist getting a piece of candy after hearing the song.

6. Meow Mix

It’s tough to imagine how a company could make the sounds of cats meowing not only into a jingle, but also into a good jingle. 

The creativity of the “Meow Mix” jingle is what sets it apart from the competition and makes consumers remember it so well. We’re sure that the cute images of cats and kittens certainly don’t hurt, either. 

Interestingly, the company decided to retire the beloved jingle in 1996, but once they realized how much customers missed it, they decided to bring it back to the airwaves in 2012 — much to the satisfaction of cats who “want chicken” everywhere. 

7. Doublemint Gum

Are you ready to double your pleasure and double your fun? 

If so, then you already know that it’s time to reach for a piece of Doublemint gum. This iconic and lively jingle helped to make Wrigley’s an incredible success, and people certainly still sing the jingle today. 

8. Folger’s Coffee

What’s the best part of waking up? 

For coffee lovers everywhere, the famous Folger’s jingle reminded us that it’s “Folgers in your cup.” 

Coupled with a close-up shot of the Folger’s coffee tin and a nice cup of morning joe, this is certainly one of the most well-recognized commercial jingles ever. It’s still used today and has had no problem standing the test of time. 

9. McDonald’s 

Are you “lovin’ it?” 

Thanks to one of the most popular jingles from fast-food giant McDonald’s, the answer is probably “yes.”

Sure, other fast-food chains (think Subway’s “Five Dollar Footlong” jingle) have created some pretty catchy tunes over the years. However, nothing quite comes close to the familiar five-note intro to McDonald’s, “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle. 

The best part of the jingle? 

For many, it’s the little-known fact that Pusha T wrote it.

Ready for Commercial Jingles of Your Own?

While this list of popular commercial jingles has no doubt been a fun trip down memory lane (and has gotten at least one jingle stuck in your head) we hope it’s done more than just that. 

You should stop to consider just how much of a long-term impact jingles can have on a brand, and how they can set you apart from your competitors. 

Are you interested in developing a jingle for your company to run on the radio or online? 

If so, then we want to help you make it happen. 

Reach out to us to learn more about our jingle-writing process, and get ready to have everyone signing your company’s tune.