Over the last two decades, digital media has been rapidly dominating advertising, now that most people are online. However, the radio still holds active as one of the oldest and most effective media for advertisers to reach their audiences. With radio reaching over 92% of U.S. adults every week, radio jingles are one of the best platforms to reach your audience across the country.
One of the most common features of radio advertising is the use of radio jingles. These lovely and catchy tunes are used by advertisers to make their radio ads stand out. Despite almost every radio ad coming with a radio jingle, many advertisers don’t appreciate the power of these audio tunes.
These short tunes can make all the difference in a radio ad. If you want to harness the power of radio advertising, you need to understand the role of these songs in adverts.
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A Short History of Radio Jingles
In the early 1920s, General Mills was having a hard time selling its breakfast cereal “Wheaties.” The company heads were thinking of dropping the product altogether to cut losses. Moreover, there were many restrictions on advertising and limited options in the industry. However, one of the marketers at the company was ready to give it one more try through radio advertising.
Thus, the first radio jingle ad was “Wheaties – the best breakfast food in the land.” It aired on Christmas Eve of 1926.
The radio ad for General Mills was a game-changer. It was successful in saving a product that the company wanted to dump in addition to boosting revenues too.
Although, the radio ad initially aired in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, the surge in Wheaties sales aided the company in buying radio spots nationally.
Since then, radio jingles have become quite a ubiquitous feature of radio advertising. The production technology has, however, advanced over the last 90 years of these jingles.
Today, you will mostly hear a voice-over accompanied by bleeps, swooshes, and drones instead of sung songs.
Advantages of Using Radio Jingles
While other styles of making radio ads do exist, most advertisers still prefer a catchy tune for their radio spots.
Here are some reasons why advertisers enjoy using jingles in their ads:
1. The Power Of Recall For Brand Recognition
One of the main advantages of using radio ads is the fact that they play on the concept of “theatre of the mind.” This means every listener hears the same advertisement but creates a unique image in their mind. Radio ads are thus more memorable than say print ads.
When you incorporate a catchy radio jingle into your radio ad, it will aid in easier recalling. Another advantage of radio advertising is the repetition of adverts which, inevitably, increases retention. With a great jingle, your target listeners will quickly connect the tune with your brand every time the ad airs.
Every marketer appreciates the importance of memory in marketing campaigns. Recollection is a significant way for your target audience to build a connection with your brand. Hence, the most effective adverts should be easy to remember.
The best radio ads always come with a compelling call-to-action (CTA) which is one of the most crucial features in radio ads script writing. Hence, with a beautiful jingle, memorable lyrics, and a captivating CTA, you are confident your radio ad will have the desired effect.
Have a new business? Radio advertising can give you the chance to reach a small target market with creative ads that include easy to remember tunes.
2. Uniqueness In Your Marketing
It is a crowded world out there in every industry. The advent of online marketing has only made things even more difficult for marketers to create unique adverts.
However, radio is still retaining its appeal across all demographics. The biggest brands, therefore, invest much money in the production of jingles because they want to build brand recognition.
Do you want to reach a specific target audience? Use targeted radio marketing. Just make your radio ad stand out by using a memorable yet fresh tune.
Once you have created the perfect jingle, you will build your future radio ads around it. A good radio jingle will highlight your company’s values, mission, brand’s heritage, value proposition, consistency, messaging, and personality.
Over some time, listeners will associate this tune with your brand, quickly making you stand out from the crowd.
3. Cut Through the Noise
When in a public space, take a look around you. What are you likely to see? Many people engrossed on their phones browsing, texting, chatting, or calling. If you look further, you will notice digital radio ads, billboards, and all other forms of media jostling for people’s attention too. Unfortunately, this is the world in which you have to advertise. What a tough time for marketers!
Luckily, a radio jingle can easily cut through all this clutter and reach your target audience. Creating a catchy song and using memorable lyrics for a radio ad will enhance your ability to reach target listeners.
Over the years, the best jingles are proving hard to resist. If you have selected your target audience well, they will most likely hear it.
4. Playing on Emotions
Remember how nursery school rhymes formed a big part of your early childhood? Most likely, you can still recall some of these tunes. Well, radio jingles use the same repetitive but straightforward formula to get to the listeners’ minds.
Just like teachers use simple rhymes to teach kids in these songs, advertisers also use catchy jingles to pass across their message. The simple chants can have a massive impact on the listeners as they activate various brain lobes at the same time.
Likewise, the brain’s motor center plays a role in processing the rhythm:
- the auditory center handles the sound.
- The language center handles the lyrics.
- The limbic system interprets the overall emotional effect of the jingle.
Jingles are thus manipulative, making them one of the most powerful marketing tools of modern times.
5. Cost-Effective Marketing
Compared to other forms of marketing, jingles are quite affordable. When your radio airs them several times, the tune will get stuck in a listener’s head. Hence, it will become impossible to forget your brand.
To have the same effect with TV ads or print adverts, you have to pay through the nose for multiple splash ads.
If you are on a budget and you want to grow your brand, it’s time to consider a radio ad and produce the best jingle to accompany it.
6. Versatile Advertising Tool
You can use radio ads to achieve a variety of objectives for your radio ad campaign. Whether you have a new product or service, or you want to build your brand’s visibility in your niche market, jingles will play a crucial role.
They will help your ads stand out and make them easy to remember. Whatever goals your marketing team has, you can easily manipulate jingles to suit your needs.
Tips for Making Scintillating Radio Jingles
Radio jingles are highly effective marketing tools. However, they can only work if you do them right. Here are essential considerations to ensure your songs work:
1. Catchiness/Ease Of Recall
For your jingle to work, it has to leave an imprint on your target listener’s mind. If the listener can’t get it out of their head, your jingle has achieved its purpose.
2. Simplicity/Brevity
You have to be clear and concise. Don’t force your listeners to overthink your tune. The message should be direct and straightforward to the point.
3. Emotional Appeal/Pathos
Pathos is the appeal to the emotions of listeners by eliciting feelings. If your radio jingle doesn’t evoke any connection with the listener, then it has failed. A good radio jingle should lead to some emotional response in the listener’s mind. This is what makes them heed your call to action.
4. Powerful Message
If you want to leverage the power of radio jingles, then take time to think about the lyrics for your tune. Most radio listeners look for value propositions in adverts. If they can’t find any, they will turn it off from their mind.
A working jingle should send a simple but powerful message in the form of a slogan or a call-to-action. You must leave no doubt in the listener’s mind about what they have just heard. When writing your advertising jingle, make sure it has words and a tune that invokes positive feelings towards your brand.
5. Use a Creative Slogan
A slogan line is an easy way of summing up your radio jingle while making it even more memorable. It is also a smart strategy to distinguish your radio ad from many others on the air. Some great slogan lines include Nike’s Just do it and McDonald’s’ I’m lovin’ it. These are unique lines and everyone has come to associate them with these brands.
6. Professional Input
With the advances in technology, it is easy to make audio and visual ads even from the comfort of your home. Radio jingle software is also available to make things easier for advertisers. However, if you want your jingle to make a significant impact, you need to work with professionals.
Radio ad companies, for instance, know where to hire voice over actors. They also have the hardware and software for making jingles and everything else you need. Most radio stations also offer these services with their main advantage being fast lead time. Whichever option you choose, always partner with an expert for these productions.
7. Keep Improving
Many advertisers delay their radio ads in search of that perfect jingle. Such delays can be counterproductive. Rhymes will not have an overnight impact and it is advisable to create tunes and keep changing them until you get that perfect jingle for your brand. Even the most notable brands started with not so catchy tunes before they finally found the perfect mix of melodies and lyrics.
Final Thoughts
Radio jingles have come a long way since the 1920s. However, their impact on radio ads has always remained unquestionable. If you are a marketer, this is a flexible, memorable, affordable and effective advertising tool that you should leverage in your campaigns. It may take time to nail that perfect jingle, but once you do, it will go a long way in building your brand.
