Issue #7: Name that Tune

June 17, 2008

I have been thinking about a news item that was in the forefront of media coverage over that last couple of weeks. It isn’t about gas prices. And it isn’t about which Member of Parliament makes poor choices in bed buddies. I have been thinking about “Jingles”

I Can Name that Tune in 5 Notes

It is interesting how many people across Canada who have reacted to the controversy of the CBC decision to walk away from the theme to Hockey Night in Canada.
News coverage, talk shows, internet blogs were all basically condemning the action. A theme song or jingle was actually important to them.

For over 40 years one song has been intimately connected to each and every winter Saturday night. Whether you are a hockey fan or not, every Canadian knows the HNIC “jingle”. (You can hear it in your head right now).
Even if you were in another room and you heard the first five notes, you knew it was hockey time.

While the HNIC broadcast has changed drastically over the years, the one constant was the HNIC “jingle”. As with every business, that musical image was the audio personality of the program.

How many advertisers would love to have a five note recall or associative memory with their audio image or “jingle”?

It can be done. A great audio concept that is aired frequently and with consistency can establish the connection with the listener within seconds.
For example..
Who is “Zoom Zoom”?
The consumer to product association is made; now make an offer.

A strong positioning piece of music for TV or radio actually saves advertising dollars, it doesn’t increase them. Roy Williams “The Wizard of Ads” calls this “The Impact Quotient”

The word “jingle” doesn’t do justice to a theme that has been described as “Canada’s 2nd National Anthem”. But in fact it was written in 1968 by an advertising jingle writer, Dolores Claman. She had written music for everything from toothpaste to toffee.

CTV and TSN have stepped up and purchased the Hockey Night in Canada Anthem for use for their own hockey products and broadcasts. On the surface, it was a great PR move and garnered much support from across the country.
But, how many people will immediately think of CBC each time they hear it?

It’s as if Burger King started using “You Deserve A Break Today.” Hey, there’s a thought.

From an advertising perspective, “I can name your business in 5 notes (or five words)” is possible.
The success or failure of an advertising campaign has little to do with how much you paid for it. It’s what goes INTO it.
Great ads and lousy ads cost the same.

Note: a portion of this minute was resourced from a Globe and Mail article. For the complete story, click on
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080612.wcomposer12/BNStory/Entertainment

Stay in a good mood this week. Pass it on.

Brad