8 Reasons Why Jingles are Powerful in Advertising

Like most people, you have that one jingle that has become your earworm. It gets stuck in your head and keeps playing, or, as soon as you hear it you can't help but sing along. Although ad jingles have become less popular more recently, they are still effective. Below is a look at eight reasons why jingle marketing is a powerful tool for advertising.

8 Reasons Why Jingles are Powerful in Advertising

1. A Jingle Can Become a Major Brand Element

Some brands have become synonymous with their jingles. As soon as the jingle begins to play, the audience thinks of the brand. Or, when they hear of the brand they think about the jingle. Some of the most famous jingles are for McDonald’s, Band-Aid, Kit Kat, State Farm, and Toys R Us. As soon as the catchy tunes start playing, listeners immediately recognize the brand.

One of the main goals of branding is to improve brand recognition. Jingles do an excellent job of creating awareness and improving brand identity. You can also use them to improve the recognition of your other brand elements. For example, when used on TV commercials, ensure that the video content features your name, colors, phone number, and logo. You can also incorporate your brand's slogans and taglines in the jingle. When customers see your other brand elements in various marketing and advertising materials, they can easily recognize your brand.

2. They Promote Word of Mouth Marketing

Jingles are like a good song. As soon as you hear it, you want to tell your friends and family about it. The song may even come up in random conversations. Similarly, you may find yourself humming or singing the jingle around other people.

3. They are Memorable

Jingles are lighthearted and warm. They create an immediate connection with the listeners. They are fun and easy to listen to with rhymes in the lyrics and pitch patterns that enable them to be encoded in the brain easily. As a result, they become embedded in your subconscious. It’s no wonder they keep popping up in mind when least expected. This also explains why people can remember a jingle that they heard more than half a century ago.

4. They Enhance Brand Recall

Since jingles are memorable, they make it easy for customers to remember your business. A good jingle should define clearly what your business offers. Therefore, when they are ready to buy, your brand is top of mind. Ultimately, memorable jingles improve customer acquisition and enhance customer loyalty.

5. They are Attention-Grabbing

In a world of information overload, marketers have to work harder to grab the attention of potential customers. Jingles are one of the most effective marketing tools to accomplish this goal. They are more effective, particularly in this era of information and sensory overload. As long as a jingle is well-written and produced, it is bound to catch your target audience’s attention. It can produce intense emotional and mental stimuli in the listeners.

6. They Can be Used on Different Media

The advertising landscape has changed greatly since the birth of the internet. Earlier on in the digital era, radio and TV were the main media for electronic advertising. Many people relied on TV and radio to get access to information and advertisers were keen to leverage captive audiences on both media to increase brand awareness and drive sales.

Media consumption patterns have since changed. Fewer people now rely on radio and TV as their primary sources of information. More people rely on various platforms on the internet to get information. Also, there is a significant increase in on-demand media consumption. 

According to a Quality Logo survey, 63.1% of people watch jingles on TV. Radio jingles come third on the list, with streaming platforms such as YouTube and Hulu being the second most popular media for jingles. People also watch jingles as pop-up ads on websites and browsers, music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Pandora, gaming apps, as well as in-app ads.

One of the top benefits of jingle marketing is that it can be used across the board on various electronic media. They are still effective on radio and TV but they can also be used across various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Besides, social media offers the potential for virality. If your jingle is interesting enough, it can be shared and viewed up to millions of times, which broadens your brand reach and awareness. When this happens, it increases your ROI exponentially. For instance, Nationwide has produced several jingles over the years. Their collaboration with Brad Paisley in 2019, is one of their most popular jingles across all media. It has over 9.2 million views on YouTube.

7. They Help Your Brand Stand Apart from the Competition

As is the case in most industries, your brand is most likely one among many others. As such, customers have numerous options to choose from when buying. If a customer is not aware of your business, they cannot buy from you. In the cases when they are aware of your business, they have to have a good first impression to consider your brand when making a purchase.

Jingle marketing can help you stand out among your competitors. Jingles can be used to present your brand personality as likable, interesting, and relatable. They are a unique way to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

8. They are Cost-Effective

Although Fortune 500 companies often splurge on jingle marketing, you don’t have to spend all your company’s revenue on making a jingle for it to be successful. The key is to hire a professional composer who can also help write and sing lyrics (or works alongside someone who does) and your marketing team to come up with jingles that suit your advertising goals. An advertising jingle can constitute catchy tunes such as popular songs or custom tunes. Jingles are cost-effective in that you can use them on a variety of media for a long time. If need be, simple updates can refresh your jingle and continue to wow potential customers.

That's a Wrap!

Jingle marketing has stood the test of time. Although the pattern of media consumption has changed over the years, they are still effective advertising and marketing tools. Jingles are catchy and memorable. They can be used to achieve various marketing goals including building awareness, driving brand recognition and recall, and increasing sales. They can be used on both traditional electronic media and various online platforms.

The main key to success in jingle marketing is to work with a professional to produce a jingle that scores high. Adhere to the principles of repetition, consistency, and frequency to optimize advertising efficiency.