Melodic Memories: Celebrating Adland’s Favourite Jingles
From the iconic 'Flake' tunes to the resonant notes of 'Lucky You're with AAMI,' a good jingle is always an earworm. Long after airing, a jingle, or sonic logo, is the part of an ad that sticks with us, really doing the subconscious work for a campaign.
Walking to the supermarket, on the train to work, and in the comfort of our own homes, true jingles are inescapable wherever we go. So it makes sense that the industry’s best have studied the classics.
Today, industry insiders share their beloved jingles that linger in the auditory realm of advertising.
Smith and Western – Dan Higson, co-owner/founder
Cadbury’s Flake
Dan> In the late 80’s, a period when the advertising jingle was undoubtedly having its heyday when almost every ad on TV had a super catchy tune to accompany the vision, the King of the Jingle in the UK was Ronnie Bond. Ronnie wrote many of the UK's most famous jingles “They’re tasty, tasty, very very tasty” anyone? But his most famous, and my own personal favourite, would be the timeless classic he wrote for Cadbury’s Flake. “Only the crumbliest, tastiest chocolate tastes like chocolate never tasted before”.
Ronnie re-arranged, refreshed and re-imagined this famous jingle countless times over many, many years for each Flake ad that was made. Ask anyone in the UK over the age of say 40 to sing it … and they will! It’s a beautiful piece of music that is still remembered by many. But the jingle that paid for Ronnie’s lavish houses in London’s Hampstead and the Greek island of Mykonos was for Coco Pops. “My name's Coco I'm a monkey like you?” Which ran all over Europe and the USA for over 10 years. Another classic Ronnie Bond catchy tune that would just not get out of your head! Sadly, Ronnie died last year, but his jingles live on.
Squeak E Clean – Paul Le Couteur, head of sound Melbourne
Lucky You’re with AAMI
Paul> Whilst this jingle has been around for many years in various forms in Australia, it has had a recent rebirth as part of Dylan Alcott’s commitment to increasing disability representation, inclusion and accessibility in Australian advertising and media.
As a part of a coalition of leading brands Through the Shift 20 Initiative (led by Alcott), AAMI tasked Lara Nakhle, a professional singer and disability advocate, to re-record the AAMI jingle. Lara’s eye condition, Leber Congenital Amaurosis, means that she has been blind since birth.
Supporting diversity and inclusion within the advertising industry in such a public way is another crucial step in creating a world where everyone is fairly represented in all facets of life.
Squeak E Clean – Charlie White, composer
Victoria Bitter
Charlie> My favourite advertising jingle would have to be Victoria Bitter. The iconic spaghetti western theme is memorable to everyone who grew up in Australia. Whenever I hear it, I’m reminded of growing up watching the cricket on one of those stinking hot Summer days where you’re quite literally stuck to the couch. To think it’s been around since the 1960s, my parents probably have the same memory of it…
MassiveMusic – Tip van den Bos, composer and producer
The Deep Note/THX Sound Logo
Tip> Back in the day, popping in a VHS as a kid and hearing that iconic sound signalled that something awesome was about to unfold. I vividly recall cranking up the volume on my dad's home cinema system and immersing myself in the deep sound of the sub. Even now, that sound still has a profound impact on me. I aspire to craft something as impactful and innovative as this sonic logo.
The original version stands out as one of the pioneering digitally produced audio identifiers from a time before the advent of the contemporary recording technologies we have today.
From a technical standpoint, the brilliance lies in its ability to project a perception of greater volume than it possesses because of all the different synth voices going up and down in the frequency spectrum.
Two AM Music – Kit Kuan Leong, sound supervisor and partner
Taste of Japan - Nihon No Fureeba”
Kit> This Leo Burnett-produced music video was sung and performed by Japan-based Indonesian songwriter Icazahra. The J-pop music video did not come with subtitles or any visual branding related to the fast-food giant. The only exception was the opening shot, which featured a sneaky easter egg within the busy shopping street. You’d have to watch it a 2nd time to catch it!
Japanese pop culture is significant in the country, and with an Indonesian singing a catchy J-pop track, you’ve got a pretty big chance for talking points. The cool and unexpected twist was that the entire song's lyrics were about the relaunch of McDonald’s Taste of Japan burgers in Japanese.
With its catchy tunes, it was one of Indonesia's top pop songs during the month of its release. The project proved to be a successful campaign, creating excitement for the limited-edition burgers amongst fans of the song, as they curiously wanted to understand the meaning behind the lyrics. And not forgetting that beautiful lead guitar solo that contributed as much, if not more.
