A truly successful jingle is a triumph of marketing. It can propel unknown companies into household names, embedding itself in the minds of whole generations. Yet the simple jingle is a hard concept to get right.
If you are thinking of writing your own advertising music, it may help to have some guidance before you begin. We give you our top tips from our team of staff experts on how to write a jingle.
Leverage the Sonic Logo
The world is filled with sonic anaphones, though many people do not understand what they are. The three notes that rang out on the Intel adverts? The sweeping tones that play as your X Box boots up?
These are sonic anaphones, more commonly known as a sonic logo. They could never be described as a melody as they are too short. They very seldom have lyrics, and if they do they are barely a company name.
However, they manage to sum up a company in the choice of notes and musical elements they are combined with. These clever, short sounds that represent your company can be dropped in subliminally and without notice. A good sonic logo is a powerful marketing tool when used within a jingle.
Match your Genre to Your Audience
To accomplish this, you need to first find out your audience. If you are at the stage of producing a jingle, you probably already know this. If not, do some marketing before you begin and consult the public.
Once you have this, match the genre of your jingle to your consumer. Are they young and energetic? Then consider a dance or hip hop based jingle.
Applying the same logic, your genre must also reflect your brand and advertising aesthetic. If a product is aimed at a rural audience, you may consider country music. It could be that you are composing for a high tech, state of the art company that needs sleek, electronic synth-based music to reflect this.
Choosing the Correct Musical Elements
Once you have matched the genre, you need to concentrate on your musical elements. These are additional components that make up a piece of music. The dynamics, instrument choice, tempo, and other elements all add to the overall feel.
As an example, a jingle to promote a relaxation product would need to be soft, with a slow tempo and gentle string instruments. Banging drums and blaring brass sections would not reflect the product that was being offered. Brainstorm the adjectives you would use to describe your company and make sure it is reflected in the music.
Research Competitor Jingles
It is very likely that your competitors already have a catchy tune composed by a jingle writer. If they don’t, you are already one step ahead of them. Listen to their advertising and write down the successful and less successful parts of their jingle.
You now have two choices. Either go with something that matches the theme and tone that they have created, or go for something totally different.
A different jingle would set you aside from competitors. However, the downside could be that it does not match your company image and alienates your customer base.
Write Lyrics that Sell your Product
Lyrics are extremely hard to write. You want to write something poignant and meaningful without being overly cliche or cheesy. Luckily, you are writing a jingle and not a song.
With a jingle, you need to sell your product, then sell it some more. Let people know what you do, how you do it, and why they need the product. Tell them the problem you can solve and what they are missing out on if they do not take part.
Think of all the memorable jingles from TV and radio. Every one of them is over the top.
How to Write a Jingle with a Killer Hook
This part is slightly harder. You need to have a killer hook that people will be singing all day long. On top of that, it needs to reflect the business image and needs.
For this, utilize musical intervals. An interval is a gap between the notes on a piano. Each one imparts a different meaning in the ear of the listener.
Action films always include an interval of a perfect fifth, because it makes the listener’s brain think of strength and power. One key difference and you can be summoning up thoughts of malicious evil and devil worship, so choose them carefully.
Use interval combinations that reflect your aesthetic within your hook writing. The simpler you can get it, the more impact it will have.
Record More Than One
When you create your jingle, especially if it is for a client, always have more than one idea. You may think you have written the greatest advertising music ever, but others may think differently. Ask the opinion of several unbiased people which they think is best.
Once you have narrowed it down to one idea, you can begin to flesh out the rest of your parts. You can begin to tighten the lyrics, add extra instruments, and turn the advertising world upside down.
Still Struggling?
Are you still struggling with how to write a jingle? It is not as easy as you would believe and sometimes it may help to just hire an expert. We have a wide range of options in radio and TV production that would be a great fit for your business.
Message us and book a consultation or ask for advice today. Alternatively, visit our blog for more information on how to write a jingle and get started today.
