Branding: Bring Back the Jingle!

Did you grow up in the '70s and '80s? If so, you probably have a slew of campy jingles from various TV commercials filed away in your brain. Today, advertisers still use jingles to help identify their brand, but not nearly as much as they did "back in the day." Why is this?

Part of it is probably that in the digital age, there are so many more options. Companies spend money on electronic campaigns rather than television, because they know there's a planet full of non-TV watching prospects that can be reached via the internet. Digital equipment makes video production super fast and easy, which means that if you've got an idea for something outlandish and wild that possibly involves a celebrity or special effects, it can be done fairly quickly. Musicians and celebrities are willing to sell the rights to their music or their image, to advertisers who want people to equate their brand with a popular song or celebrity icon. Many advertisers opt to make commercials that attract attention for bizarreness or shock value.

Even so: is a commercial that's loaded with larger-than-life graphics, chilling special effects and famous celebrities going to make people remember your product? Is a commercial that's off-beat and "artsy" a good choice as a brand builder? These days, there