Ad Jingles

We all know businesses advertise so that we'll remember, be reminded and be persuaded. One great way to do this is to create an original theme song or jingle of some type, in hopes that it will stick in our head all day long like a bad 80's song (wait a minute...bad 80's? that's an oxymoron...80's music rocks).

I find myself whistling the Old Spice jingle in the shower as I pick up the Old Spice shower gel. Or whistling along to the Taco Bell commercials. In fact, one day I was going crazy because I couldn't figure out how one of those FreeCreditReport.com songs went (eventually I saw the commercial again, figured it out, and heard it in my head for the following week)...F to the R to the E to the E to the C to the R to the E-D-I-T, RE to the PORT to the DOT to the COM, come on everybody grab your bike and sing along...(you're welcome!) And don't even tell me the $5 foot long song hasn't been stuck in your head for hours.

The FreeCreditReport.com commercials bring up an interesting point though...the whole commercial is a song, but they change that song from commercial to commercial as I'm sure you've seen. In older times, brands would create long jingles and use them again and again. That was when people didn't have the luxury of DVR or DVDs. Most "jingles" you hear nowadays are a few seconds long like the whistles I mentioned.

I bring this topic up because I heard a radio commercial earlier today for Mohegan Sun Casino. Rather than coming up with a short wordless jingle or an original jingle, Mohegan Sun takes somewhat of a disastrous hybrid route: using an existing song and changing the words. They've butchered "Walk Like an Egyptian" and I dread the day when I have to hear the other one, which apparently uses "Sweet Home Alabama." They have television commercials that do the same thing with other songs except you get the honor of seeing people dancing around like choreographed jackasses.

Feel free to witness the ruination of Rick James for yourself:



No thanks MoHo...I'll stick with the CT Lottery to blow my money.