Do jingles really work in ads ?

If you look at what the great David Ogilvy had said about jingles is that you land up using jingles when your product has nothing to say and therefore you have no other option but to sing. But I strongly feel the role of a jingle is basically to give that extra embellishment to a message be it in television or radio. When I think of embellishment one thing that connects my mind is music in any form be it carnatic or Hindustani music as with out the support of other musical instruments played by the musician the performance of a vocal recital will never stand out.

The same principle or logic applies to jingle. The most common example that one can easily think of is the Nirma washing powder. The entire advertisement commercials revolve around the powerful jingle which blends with the visuals to give that impact. The jingle is so powerful that even as a standalone communication also it works very well in the radio medium. Therefore there are mixed views from various quarters on the role of jingle in an advertisement but all one must make sure is to try and use the jingle at the most appropriate juncture


Memorable tune and simple lyrics can work wonder:
Most jingles which have been have been successful and sticky in the minds of the customer is primarily because of its lyrics and unique tune. The case in example is Hutch brand now Define when they wanted to emphasis the network capabilities of their service they used the jingle in the most interesting and clever manner to covey their superior network strengths.

The clever use of the pug and the boy with its jingle of ‘You and I in this beautiful world’ set new yardsticks of how jingles should be exploited. What an endearing ad! It’s a jingle with lucid and simple lyrics beautifully captured the innocent, charming world of the pug and the boy. What’s more the song and tune has become so powerful that the brand using the tune very cleverly in each of their new communication that they are trying to communicate.

Another brand that has used the tune to orchestrate with all their communication has been the watchmakers Titan. The Mozart tune has been in existence with the brand close to a decade and has been very creatively used and express in all their communication. They have also made the tune contemporary and adapted it to each of the products they launched . The tune has sunk into people’s mind over a period of a time and today people will be able to connect with the brand purely on hearing the tune of the Mozart.



What drives great jingles?

Jingle is a great combination of lyrics, music, and tune and to a large extent the way it is sung. Hence even if you have great lyrics the jingle can be effective only if you are able to produce the jingle with the right voice and a memorable tune. And this is where it is important that you identify the right music director to compose the tune.

Music contributes a lot to any film, especially an ad film. Indian commercials often have wonderful tracks. In fact, when we show Indian ad films abroad, the high standard of music usually comes in for praise. Coming to jingles specifically - creative people tend to shun them because they sometimes are a substitute for an idea. Also it makes the ad 'addy'

Hence it is the endeavor of most creative directors to make the ad a piece of film that has the potential of passing into popular culture. A vehicle for strengthening the brand that does not scream 'I am a commercial'.


Jingle and a Song what’s the difference:

The distinction between a jingle and a song is that in the former you mention the brand name. So 'Hamara Bajaj' is a jingle but 'Kuch khaas hai hum sabhi mein' for Cadbury’s dairy milk chocolate is a song. The 'You and I' song of Orange/Hutch is an immensely popular song that passed into popular culture is also a song

Having said all that, jingles have their own place in advertising. Especially, if we try to think back to commercials that have left a mark on us from yesteryears, it is 'Aaj bhi, kal bhi VIP' and the perennial 'Washing Powder Nirma'.

A recent case in example of a jingle that transformed the fortunes of a brand is 'Kya aap Close Up karte hain?' There was no idea in that campaign. But nothing succeeds like success. The jingle has hit and is being used in various avatar to make it stand out.

Only another key distinction once notices between a jingle and a song is in the case of the jingle the brand name gets mentioned in the jingle while in the song it builds up to connect with the brand.


Is jingle a must in a commercial?

The answer is yes and no. You should not force fit a jingle or a song in commercial. There are several instances where you commercials which have worked wonders for the brand without the use of a jingle or a song.

A very good instance of a successful non-jingle ad is the ‘Asian Paints’ – ‘Waah Sunil babu’ ad. The ad had a brilliant script with an element of humor. No background music, no jingles. Yet a phenomena! Another case in point being the ‘Airtel – Beyond Barriers’ ad. To use as a case study, the ad did not have any jingles to convey its message. Through the sheer brilliance of its visuals and cannily crafted exquisite background score with the signature tune of A.R Rahman it did manage to tug our heartstrings. The message was conveyed to us simple and clear – ‘Barriers break when people talk’.

Therefore if you have a strong idea you need not force fit a jingle into a television commercial? In the good old days the client will brief an agency on the product and at the end of the discussion he would say give me a catchy tune or jingle. Those days are history today as agency use song and jingles very tactfully and cleverly in their radio or television commercial. Even in radio today you hardly notice jingles even if the jingle comes on the radio it is pure adaptation of the television commercial. Most of the radio scripts today are based on strong idea with good humor and dialogues.


Finally does jingle works?

In my opinion, one cannot give a definitive response as to whether jingles are relevant in ads or not. To some extent, it also depends on the product one is advertising. If it’s an ad about HSBC, LIC policies and similar kind of product singles don’t really matter that much as jingles are usually associated with fun and frivolity. However, for the advertisement of FMCG and consumer durable products jingles do play an important role provided it blends with the product without diluting the core idea of the brand. As I said in the earlier paragraph jingles are used when they lack a strong idea and let’s also be clear a jingle and a song can only supplement the advertisement but the larger picture is that you commercial should have big idea.