Four States Small Business Blog

Have you ever been driving or sitting in a car and you start singing along with the commercial? How about talking to your friends or colleagues and everyone starts singing the words to the latest catchy jingle? That’s the power of jingles that have a lasting impact.

On Christmas Eve, 1926, Wheaties took to the radio and invited America to “Try Wheaties, the best breakfast food in the land!” inventing what we now call the “radio jingle.” Through the power of the song sung by a male quartet, Wheaties soon became the best-selling breakfast cereal, and the benefits of radio jingle advertising became quite clear. In fact, jingles have been grabbing the attention of radio audiences almost since the beginning of this form of entertainment.

Advertising jingles are short pieces of music that are associated with a specific brand, product, or company. The best ones are as memorable as good logos, and people can recall them for years - or even decades - after a campaign that features them. Coming up with a good one, however, can be hard for those who don't have the skills or practice to do it. To help with this challenge, we offer Jingle Workshops.

If you’ve seen one of Peyton Manning’s commercials for Nationwide Insurance, you’ll immediately understand the impact a jingle has on your audience. Nationwide’s jingle is catchy, creative, and above all, gets stuck in your head. In fact, it’s been memorable since 1977, and in more recent years, the jingle has evolved for newer audiences, adding elements of authenticity with its Songs for All Our Sides campaign. Perhaps most importantly, it makes it easy for the listener to never confuse Nationwide with a competitor like State Farm, which also features its own jingle dating back to the 1970’s.