New research reveals that over half (52%) of UK consumers find it hard to get a catchy ad jingle out of their head, while four in ten say some ad tunes can have them singing along all day (41%).
Carried out by Opinion Matters on behalf of (maybe it’s…) Maybelline, the findings showed that almost half (45%) still find themselves singing stand-out jingles from their childhood.
Top of the list was Go Compare (whatever your thoughts on Gio Compario – it’s certainly an earworm), this was followed by the iconic ‘Just One Cornetto’, ‘We buy any car, dot com’ and ‘P-P-Pick up a Penguin’.
Next on the list were ‘Washing machines live longer with Calgon’ and ‘A Mars A Day helps you work, rest and play’.
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The study goes some way towards highlighting the crucial role of sonic branding.
It comes as Maybelline has relaunched its own famous 1990s jingle ‘Maybe it’s Maybelline’. Despite having celebrated its 20th anniversary, it’s still been named in the top ten most stand-out jingles.
“With commercial jingles, the difficulty is creating something catchy, memorable, and poignant, often in just three short seconds,” said Sixième Son founder, sound expert Michaël Boumendil.
“Maybelline’s new jingle pays homage to the lasting impact that Maybelline has within culture, but also looks towards the power of sonic branding and how it can shape consumer loyalty and behaviour.”
Durham University associate professor in music psychology Dr Kelly Jakubowski added: “Our findings show that you can, to some extent, predict which songs are going to get stuck in people’s heads based on the song’s melodic content.”
“The new Maybelline jingle taps into common features of ‘musically sticky songs’ – it has a fast, danceable tempo and unique intervals, such as leaps and repetitions, which set the track apart. The alliteration of the phrase ‘maybe it’s Maybelline’ also helps ensure people remember it for days or months afterwards.”
