Americans better love their ads! The average American sees between 6,500 and 11,000 ads every day.
If you want your commercials to stand out, you have to make them interesting and distinctive. An easy way to do that is to write jingles for commercials.
But don’t start writing song lyrics just yet. You need to know a few things if you want to make a memorable jingle.
How do jingles work, and what lyrics should they contain? How can you gain influence from other jingles without replicating them? How do you develop your brand through a jingle and encourage your audience to reach out to you?
Answer these questions and you can master how to make a memorable jingle in no time. Here is your quick guide.
Think About a Core Message
Your jingle should have a message that your audience can discern easily. Think about what the purpose of your jingle is. You may want your audience to know what the phone number for your business is, or you may want to promote a particular product.
Base everything in the jingle around that message. If you’re promoting a phone number, sing about what calling the number will do for your audience. If you’re promoting a product, you can describe the product and explain how it is better than others.
Try to write your message into one sentence you can repeat in your jingle like a chorus or refrain. Revise that sentence until it becomes more musical and catchy. You can use rhyme, alliteration, or assonance to make your sentence sound good.
Jingles for television ads are a little different than jingles on the radio. Your song needs to match the visuals on screen, and your jingle must fit within a 30-second or one-minute advertising block. But you still need to have a core message that resonates with your audience, even with accompanying visuals.
Contemplate Your Brand
Your jingle will not be effective if you do not attach it to your pre-established brand. If your business has a traditional and conservative brand, your jingle shouldn’t be silly or reminiscent of modern pop songs.
Take a look at your previous marketing efforts and think about how your customers perceive you. If you are running a new business or don’t have a clear idea of your brand, you can run focus groups. You can also conduct surveys, asking your customers what they like in advertising.
Listen to some classic jingles like 1-877-KARS-4-KIDS. Think about what your impression of the company is after you have listened to the jingle. Break down how the lyrics, beats, and rhythms of the jingle develop the brand, and think about how you can engage in a similar effort.
Research Jingles With Similar Messages
You are likely competing with at least one other business that has created a jingle. Listen to the jingles your competitors have made.
It is okay if your jingle shares some characteristics with theirs, like a similar chord progression or beat. However, your jingle needs to have distinctive qualities, namely an original message.
Once you’ve looked at your competitors, you should research businesses similar to yours in other geographic areas. Listen to what they do and take notes on the qualities in their jingles that you like. You should also brainstorm a few ways to distinguish your jingle, such as including descriptions of local landmarks.
Avoid Regurgitating Other Songs
Many people create jingles that are clearly inspired by popular songs. It is okay to take influence from a song that is at the top of the charts.
But you should never take characteristics from popular songs and drop them in your jingle. You risk infringing on the songwriter’s copyright, which can lead to a lawsuit.
You also risk making your jingle dated. Many pop songs fall off the charts after a few weeks, and you want your jingle to last longer than that.
Select an Identifiable Genre
One of the best ways to develop your brand through your jingle is to pick a genre your audience would identify with. If you are a law firm, you may want to select a jingle based on classical music. If you sell land, you can make a country jingle that reminds your audience of the Wild West.
Feel free to look at subgenres as well. Trucking companies can make a truck-driving country jingle.
Once you’ve selected a genre or subgenre you want to make a jingle in, you should do your research on the genre. Look to see if any of your competitors have made a jingle in your genre. If they have, you may want to select a different one so you can be more unique.
Create a Strong Intro and Finish
Most jingles are 30 seconds or one minute long. You have to pack in a lot of information in a short period of time, but you can’t forget about having a strong introduction and conclusion. If you don’t hook your audience in, they won’t engage with your message.
Many intros in jingles do not use lyrics, but catchy notes to draw your audience’s attention. Try to write a couple of catchy chords or an interesting melody. If your intro is really good, you can repeat it over the course of the song or as a conclusion.
Your conclusion can be a call to action. After talking about your business, you can give your phone number so your customers know how to reach you.
Write Effective Jingles for Commercials Today
Creating jingles for commercials means understanding a few different things. Each of your jingles should have a message that you contain within a catchy line. The jingle should develop your brand without contradicting previous marketing efforts.
You should research other jingles, but your jingle should be its own product. Never replicate what pop songs are doing. Hook your audience in with a great melody at the start and then let them go with a call to action.
Don’t create great jingles alone. Killerspots Agency helps Cincinnati businesses create jingles for commercials. Contact us today.
