Americana: Advertising Jingles
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile comes directly from its hit jingle. Uploaded by farm3.static.flickr.com.
The older you are, the more of these ditties you have rattling around your brain. And just when you think you’ve put them away forever, some crazy blog guy comes along and brings them to the surface. And you find yourself humming them all the next day.
Some of the best jingles lasted for the entire sixty seconds of a commercial, yet one on the list is only four notes. But they all achieved the advertiser’s goal of keeping the product’s message alive long after its thirty or sixty seconds on air.
Before I list my top ten, here are some of the runners-up that could easily have made the top. Let your mind go back and relive:
“You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent.”
“M’m m’m good, m’m m’m good, that’s what Campbell’s soups are, m’m m’m good.”
“Double your flavor, double your fun, with Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint gum.”
“I love Bosco, it’s rich and chocolaty, chocolate-flavored Bosco is mighty good for me.”
“Brylcreem, a little dab’ll do ya, they love to run their fingers through your hair.”
“When the values go up, up, up, and the prices go down, down, down…” (Robert Hall)
“Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven, and Pillsbury says it best.”
“From the valley of the Jolly (‘ho ho ho’) Green Giant.”
“I’m a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, she’s a Pepper, we’re a Pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?”
“Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” (Almond Joy/Mounds)
Those are excellent, but here are the ten that make my list:
10. Maxwell House: “Percolator” No words, just a memorable product tie-in.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SC19EOMkDk]
9. Coca-Cola: “I’d like to teach the world to sing” A beautiful song that expressed the Coke vibe.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mOEU87SBTU]
8. Meow Mix One word that combined the brand and its market.
7. Kit Kat: “Give me a break, give me a break” Can eating a candy bar be this much fun?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JLiUK-wQ2g]
6. McDonald’s: “You deserve a break today” McDonald’s at the height of its cultural influence.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqRH8wEsaVQ]
5. Intel: “4 notes” Simplicity itself. I like the new version with employees singing the notes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqLPHrCQr2I]
4. Chevrolet: “See the USA in your Chevrolet” This jingle hasn’t been used in almost 50 years, and I can still sing it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGZvQoPxhNs]
3. Chili’s: “I want my baby back ribs” So popular that it’s parodied in an Austin Powers movie.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1XfGTO2vh8]
2. Alka Seltzer “Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is.” Alka Seltzer had some of the best advertising from 1950-2000.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxjb2UJZ-5I]
1. TIE: Oscar Mayer: “Oh, I’d love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener.” and “My bologna has a first name.” I couldn’t choose, and they’re both brilliant.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNddW2xmZp8]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctNAs1K7nbo]