Jingle
Encyclopedia
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising
and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks
and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio
and television commercials; they can also be used in non-advertising contexts to establish or maintain a brand image. Jingles are a form of sound branding
.
with a musical tilt can be traced back to 1923, around the same time commercial
radio began in the United States. If one entity has the best claim to the first jingle it is General Mills
, who aired the world’s first singing commercial
. The seminal radio bite, entitled "Have You Tried Wheaties
?", was first sung over the air on Christmas Eve
of 1926 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. It featured four male singers, who were eventually christened "The Wheaties Quartet", singing the following lines:
The Wheaties advertisement, with its lyrical hooks, was seen by its owners as extremely successful. According to one account, General Mills had seriously planned to end production of Wheaties in 1929 on the basis of poor sales. Soon after the song "Have you tried Wheaties?" aired in Minnesota, however, of the 53,000 cases of Wheaties breakfast cereal
sold, 30,000 were sold in the Twin Cities market. After advertising manager Sam Gale pointed out that this was the only location where “Have You Tried Wheaties?” was being aired at the time, the success of the jingle was accepted by the company. Encouraged by the results of this new method of advertising, General Mills changed its brand strategy. Instead of dropping the cereal, it purchased nationwide commercial time for the advertisement. The resultant climb in sales single-handedly established the "Wheaties" brand nationwide.
After General Mills' success, other companies began to investigate this new method of advertisement. Initially, the jingle circumvented the ban on direct advertising that the National Broadcasting Company, dominant broadcasting chain, was trying to maintain at the time. A jingle could get a brand’s name embedded in the heads of potential customers even though it did not fit into the definition of "advertisement" accepted in the late 1920s.
The art of the jingle reached its peak around the economic boom
of the 1950s.
The jingle was used in the advertising of branded products such as breakfast cereals, candy
, snacks, soda pop, tobacco
, and beer
. Various franchise
s and products aimed at the consumers' self-image, such as automobile
s, personal hygiene products (including deodorant
s, mouthwash
, shampoo
, and toothpaste
), and household cleaning products, especially detergent
, also used
radio formats primarily Hot30 Countdown
, used primarily for branding reasons.
Television station ident
s have also introduced their own audio jingles to strengthen their brand identities, for example the melodic motifs of Channel 4
's Fourscore
or BBC One
's 'Circle' idents
.
Jingles are also the vital part of Radio. As radio is only concerned with the voice, Jingles played important role in every program of radio. Almost all the radio ads are based on jingles for their identification.
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television commercials; they can also be used in non-advertising contexts to establish or maintain a brand image. Jingles are a form of sound branding
Sound branding
Sound branding is the use of sound to reinforce brand identity...
.
History
The jingle had no definitive status: its infiltration of the radio was more of an evolutionary process than a sudden innovation. Product advertisementsAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
with a musical tilt can be traced back to 1923, around the same time commercial
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
radio began in the United States. If one entity has the best claim to the first jingle it is General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, who aired the world’s first singing commercial
Radio commercial
Commercial radio stations make most of their revenue selling “airtime” to advertisers. Of total media expenditures, radio accounts for 6.9%. Radio advertisements or “spots” are available when a business or service provides valuable consideration, usually cash, in exchange for the station airing...
. The seminal radio bite, entitled "Have You Tried Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
?", was first sung over the air on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
of 1926 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. It featured four male singers, who were eventually christened "The Wheaties Quartet", singing the following lines:
Have you tried Wheaties?
They’re whole wheat with all of the bran.
Won’t you try Wheaties?
For wheat is the best food of man.
They’re crispy and crunchy
The whole year through,
The kiddies never tire of them
and neither will you.
So just try Wheaties,
The best breakfast food in the land.
The Wheaties advertisement, with its lyrical hooks, was seen by its owners as extremely successful. According to one account, General Mills had seriously planned to end production of Wheaties in 1929 on the basis of poor sales. Soon after the song "Have you tried Wheaties?" aired in Minnesota, however, of the 53,000 cases of Wheaties breakfast cereal
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
sold, 30,000 were sold in the Twin Cities market. After advertising manager Sam Gale pointed out that this was the only location where “Have You Tried Wheaties?” was being aired at the time, the success of the jingle was accepted by the company. Encouraged by the results of this new method of advertising, General Mills changed its brand strategy. Instead of dropping the cereal, it purchased nationwide commercial time for the advertisement. The resultant climb in sales single-handedly established the "Wheaties" brand nationwide.
After General Mills' success, other companies began to investigate this new method of advertisement. Initially, the jingle circumvented the ban on direct advertising that the National Broadcasting Company, dominant broadcasting chain, was trying to maintain at the time. A jingle could get a brand’s name embedded in the heads of potential customers even though it did not fit into the definition of "advertisement" accepted in the late 1920s.
The art of the jingle reached its peak around the economic boom
Boom and bust
A credit boom-bust cycle is an episode characterized by a sustained increase in several economics indicators followed by a sharp and rapid contraction. Commonly the boom is driven by a rapid expansion of credit to the private sector accompanied with rising prices of commodities and stock market index...
of the 1950s.
The jingle was used in the advertising of branded products such as breakfast cereals, candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
, snacks, soda pop, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, and beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. Various franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
s and products aimed at the consumers' self-image, such as automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s, personal hygiene products (including deodorant
Deodorant
Deodorants are substances applied to the body to affect body odor caused by bacterial growth and the smell associated with bacterial breakdown of perspiration in armpits, feet and other areas of the body. A subgroup of deodorants, antiperspirants, affect odor as well as prevent sweating by...
s, mouthwash
Mouthwash
Mouthwash or mouth rinse is a product used to enhance oral hygiene. Some manufacturers of mouthwash claim that antiseptic and anti-plaque mouth rinse kill the bacterial plaque causing cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath. Anti-cavity mouth rinse uses fluoride to protect against tooth decay...
, shampoo
Shampoo
Shampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair...
, and toothpaste
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing...
), and household cleaning products, especially detergent
Detergent
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with "cleaning properties in dilute solutions." In common usage, "detergent" refers to alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water...
, also used
Alternative jingles
Jingles can also be used for parody purposes, popularized in Top 40/CHRContemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
radio formats primarily Hot30 Countdown
Hot30 Countdown
The Hot30 Countdown, is an Australian radio show hosted by Matty Acton and Maude Garrett. It is broadcast on the Today Network to every state in Australia, following 'The Dirt'....
, used primarily for branding reasons.
Television station ident
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
s have also introduced their own audio jingles to strengthen their brand identities, for example the melodic motifs of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Fourscore
Fourscore
Fourscore was the signature tune used by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom for 10 years, from 1982 to 1992. It was composed by Lord David Dundas. Various short excerpts from the piece, which were the various orchestrations of the same four note melody, in the key of F Major, were used to accompany...
or BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's 'Circle' idents
BBC One 'Circle' idents
The BBC One 'Circle' idents are a set of on-screen channel identities that debuted on BBC One at 10am BST on 7 October 2006. They also feature on the BBC Worldwide channel, BBC America...
.
Jingles are also the vital part of Radio. As radio is only concerned with the voice, Jingles played important role in every program of radio. Almost all the radio ads are based on jingles for their identification.