When Did Ad Jingles Get So Boring?
There was a time when advertising jingles could make or break a brand. They were annoying in the most memorable way. You’d hum them in the shower, involuntarily. They refused to leave your brain. I still catch myself singing the old Holden ‘Football, Meat pies, Kangaroos and Holden cars’ ad, even though I have no interest in Aussie sport and drive a Mazda. But today’s jingles? Wallpaper. Corporate mood music with all the emotional pull of a loading screen.
I blame the rise of ‘audio branding’. It sounds official, futuristic, and expensive. But spend ten minutes on YouTube listening to modern sonic logos and you’ll hear what I mean. It's all soft synths and ambient bleeps. Designed by a committee terrified of offending anyone. And while that sonic subtlety might work smashed into a Netflix logo sting, it kills the visceral joy a real jingle used to bring. Where's our modern-day "McDonald's — I’m Lovin’ It" or Mitre 10’s thumping DIY banger? Those were made to please the ears, not just the brand council.
What’s worse, some companies are going full minimalist. A single chime here, a whoosh there. There’s a bank ad that ends with a tinkle so soft I thought my laptop had just received a notification. This isn’t branding, it’s camouflaged marketing. I’ve found more personality in the hold music of a regional taxi company.
To be fair, the streaming era hasn’t helped. Ads are shortened, skipped, muted. But maybe that makes the need for a killer jingle even greater. Something to plant a flag in your memory in just three seconds. We don’t need longer jingles. We need smarter, catchier, and bolder ones. And yes, maybe a terrifyingly catchy melody about building pergolas.
I blame the rise of ‘audio branding’. It sounds official, futuristic, and expensive. But spend ten minutes on YouTube listening to modern sonic logos and you’ll hear what I mean. It's all soft synths and ambient bleeps. Designed by a committee terrified of offending anyone. And while that sonic subtlety might work smashed into a Netflix logo sting, it kills the visceral joy a real jingle used to bring. Where's our modern-day "McDonald's — I’m Lovin’ It" or Mitre 10’s thumping DIY banger? Those were made to please the ears, not just the brand council.
What’s worse, some companies are going full minimalist. A single chime here, a whoosh there. There’s a bank ad that ends with a tinkle so soft I thought my laptop had just received a notification. This isn’t branding, it’s camouflaged marketing. I’ve found more personality in the hold music of a regional taxi company.
To be fair, the streaming era hasn’t helped. Ads are shortened, skipped, muted. But maybe that makes the need for a killer jingle even greater. Something to plant a flag in your memory in just three seconds. We don’t need longer jingles. We need smarter, catchier, and bolder ones. And yes, maybe a terrifyingly catchy melody about building pergolas.