My mother always told me I was an advertiser’s dream. For those who know me, I am a self-proclaimed TV junkie. While some kids may have walked around with a Disney song stuck in their head at age six, there was me — humming the Empire Today Carpet and Flooring jingle while I played with my Barbies (800-588-2300 Em-pire Today!).

There haven’t been too many shows I haven’t watched at one time or another — just ask my coworkers. Therefore, I am no stranger to a commercial or advertisement. Even on my way to work, I always have to listen to my favorite radio station, so I listen to the same commercials each morning.

But, what catches on and stays with me the most at the end of the day? Jingles. Each and every time. Whether I like it or not.

In college, I tended to watch the stereotypical channels us millennials do. So, of course, the advertisements were geared toward my age group. There was one jingle, and I’m sure you millennials remember which one, that advertised for a college matching site. It featured bad acting and an even worse song — but the darn thing was easy to remember and hard to forget. So, by advertising standards, it was effective.

My question is, are you capitalizing on this easy method of advertising? In my opinion, I don’t think nearly enough businesses are.

Have a creative friend? Know a guy that loves to jam on his guitar and write music? Chances are you already have the media connections, you just need your hook — the jingle.

While it may seem difficult, why not consider utilizing your loyal staff? Have a team brainstorm, and discuss what your company stands for and is known for. Then, take those thoughts, and translate them into a catchy jingle. Make sure to incorporate some sort of contact information, usually a phone number, into that catchy commercial, and you’ve got a potential hit, my friend.

An effective jingle is short and sweet, deliver’s your brand’s message, and is clever and catchy. So, stick to this rule of thumb:

• Get to the point: Leave out excess words that won’t have an impact on your message — you want to include only the keywords that the customer is going to remember.
• Make it last: Make your jingle one that stays with the customer long after it airs. Use rhyming, alliteration, or any other tools to make your jingle unique to your company and its brand.
• Bring it home: Make sure, above all else, that the jingle brings home your company’s main message. If you want them to buy your air conditioners, for example, let’s hope you talk about why your air conditioners are the best in the area.

In my opinion, you recommend what you hear and what you know. If someone is asking me where to go to get matched for colleges for free — I have an idea of what to recommend whether I like to admit it or not. When someone mentions needing new carpet, I know what company is jumping out whether I have utilized their services or not.

It’s called top-of-mind awareness, and every business wants it. So, what’s an easy way to get it? By sticking out. And how can you stick out? With a catchy jingle.

So, meet up with your team, get creative, and think up a jingle that will send your business to the top of every local customer’s mind.

Publication date: 10/16/2017

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