By Craig Colgan
Here is one conclusion, right at the top, straight from the mean, cynical, ruthless experts at branding agencies: Jingles are out. With a few exceptions, no more of those short, bright, happy-sounding tunes with energetic lyrics over images of smiley, happy people. Pop songs are in. As are contemporary-sounding, memorable riffs often with no lyrics called “sonic branding.”
Jingles may be history, but the ABA Bank Marketing Conference is where the future of bank marketing happens — Oct. 6-8 in Chicago. Register here.
Who is right? Herewith a quick guide:
For some banks, music is in the blood
“Yes, we still use a jingle,” says Debbie Arnold, SVP at Peoples Bank, in Arkansas. “And we play music in our lobbies. Occasionally a dance party breaks out.”
Wait. What?
“Fun is one of our value words, along with responsibility, integrity, kindness, service and excellence,” Arnold says. “To promote a fun atmosphere in our branches, we play music in our lobbies using Alexa and a mobile phone. Each branch chooses what they want to play each day, as long as it’s family-friendly. Some Fridays we pop popcorn in the lobby and play line dancing songs.” (Examples: “Cha-Cha Slide,” “Cupid Shuffle,” “The Git Up.”)
“Any available employees join in as well as a few fun-loving customers,” Arnold says. This is where, if we were in social media, we would drop in one of those popcorn emojis.
The bank’s 16-year-old jingle gets played sometimes in the lobby, too. “It’s recognizable, nostalgic and part of our brand,” Arnold adds. “ ‘My bank is Peoples Bank, make it your bank too!’ are the lyrics and we have a successful customer referral program, so it all ties together.” The bank uses its jingle in its radio commercials, many of which reference sports at local Southern Arkansas University.
Arnold’s team writes its own radio copy and records the ads at local radio stations. “I can write a radio ad in the morning, record it in the afternoon and have it aired that evening,” she says. “By using the jingle, our ads sound consistent.”
The bank also teaches its easily memorable jingle to children’s groups. “Our main bank has a second floor that overlooks the first-floor lobby. Field trips enjoy visiting the second floor and giving a mini concert of the jingle to customers below.”
You gonna argue with that?
It’s about priorities
“The big question would be: ‘Why do you want a jingle?’” asks Josh Mabus, president of the Mabus Agency, in Tupelo, Mississippi (and who is not at all mean or ruthless or cynical).
“And the answer for anything around a brand would be, ‘To differentiate my institution.’ Too many banks still have the same name. Too many banks have poor visual branding systems that make them feel too local. It’s one thing to be a community bank, but your brand has to have the appearance of a reliable, sophisticated entity. Too many banks have poor websites. In my opinion, banks need to work on these table-stakes items before going to a jingle or brand tone.”
The peak era of brand jingles lasted up through the 1980s. Fans of pop star Barry Manilow know he regularly included in his live shows a medley of popular jingles he wrote for State Farm Insurance, Band-Aid, McDonald’s and other national brands. The State Farm theme can still be heard in ads 50 years later, but now often only briefly in the background as the lyrics have morphed to lines in humorous TV spots spoken by actors including Arnold Schwarzenegger. But as the youth market became a much bigger target for marketers, contemporary sounds, production and references became crucial. And then the Internet arrived.
“Jingles may not be dead but are close to life support in modern marketing,” says John Oxford, chief marketing officer at $17.4 billion Renasant Bank, with locations in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. “Jingles are dated, walk the fine line between cringy and cool and most marketers, especially in banking, are focused on ROI and data more than branding and creative style jingle marketing.”
Music, however, is still relevant, he points out. Today that includes what has come to be called sonic branding, a uniquely created sound specifically for a brand — including traditional music elements which often collide with other tech noises all aimed toward a distinctive, fast merge. Think Duracell or Netflix.
Some banks make use of music that could be classified as either sonic branding or sort-of jingle. That easily remembered and gently uplifting lyric-less melody under TV spots from now-merged Maryland-based Sandy Spring Bank’s Destination Campaign is a good example. Ads in PNC Bank’s recent campaign have sported a distinctive tune underneath an actor speaking to the camera. Not a classically defined jingle. But short, recognizable and effective. (The PNC jingle has enough fans that an hour-long remix of the tune has attracted nearly 60,000 views on YouTube.)
The test of time
New jingles may be nearly extinct. But like the jingle used by Arnold’s bank, a few tend to stick around. “When responding to those who might say jingles are old-fashioned, it’s important to highlight their unique appeal and proven effectiveness,” notes Crystal Kilichowski, director of marketing at Northview Bank in Minnesota. The bank, which specializes in vacation property loans, uses a jingle it created eight years ago for $1,500 for radio ads and in a video showing off lake-front homes.
“Having a jingle has significantly enhanced our branding efforts,” she adds. “The catchy tune has become a symbol of our bank, making it instantly recognizable to customers. A well-crafted jingle embeds itself in the memory of potential and existing customers. This helps to create a stronger emotional connection and recall value, which is vital in a competitive market. By hearing the jingle across various media channels, customers are continuously reminded of our bank’s presence and the services it offers, fostering brand loyalty and recognition.”
First National Bank of Milaca, another Minnesota bank, recently brought back to life its jingle created in 2006.
“The committee decided to bring it back because we already invested in it,” says Megan Oldakowski, the bank’s marketing manager. “It’s memorable and strong branding. It holds true to our mission today.” The bank uses the jingle in ad spots on radio and on programmatic audio streaming. The bank shot a local video using the jingle in 2013 for movie theater advertising and it is seen on social media.
Older jingles, older pop songs. Bank of America chose the 50-year-old “Sweet Home Alabama” for one spot. Before the Carpenters’ 1970 hit “We’ve Only Just Begun” became the wedding song of a generation, it was originally written and recorded for a California bank TV ad.
And sometimes what is old is suddenly new again. When Washington Trust of Rhode Island launched a rebrand campaign in 2023, the bank worked with the same musician and producer of an original piece of music the bank has used for 17 years.
“The results are spot on,” says Sharon M. Walsh, VP and director of marketing strategy and planning. “We kept the integrity of the melody for recognition but added some electric guitar to modernize it.” The bank has heard regularly how identifiable it is, she adds. “People know it’s our ad as soon as they hear the first few notes.”
You knew we would get to this part eventually
Artificial intelligence, of course, is absolutely part of nearly any story about making content, for brands especially. “We don’t have a standard jingle, but we use Suno for creative, cheeky social media audio options,” says Susan Richwine, VP and marketing director at First Bank Richmond in Indiana.
“Suno is building a future where anyone can make great music,” the company’s website explains. “Whether you’re a shower singer or a charting artist, we break barriers between you and the song you dream of making. No instrument needed, just imagination. From your mind to music.”
So in the great jingle debate, who is right? Forces that are inexorable will make that call for bank marketers. Morphing technology and how busy people live and interact with brands will continue to impact bank creative and strategy. Social media is the place where banks are experimenting and music can have a major role there, says Clark Hook, executive creative director of Financial Marketing Solutions, in Franklin, Tennessee. “The funny thing is, when we do focus groups with banks all over the country, jingles still get mentioned,” he says. “We see it a lot in banks that have been around a while. If they had a radio or TV jingle back in the day, people still remember it. That being said, most of those comments refer to the time period when jingles were popular. But it’s hard to argue the power of a jingle as a mnemonic device. The truth is, they work when they are done right.
“But they are hard to do right, and I think many of the structures now used by marketers favor sonic logos and other audio devices because they do a similar work in less time,” says Hook. “Who knows? They may make a comeback one of these days. I think brands have the opportunity to leverage music far more than they are — particularly original music. I look forward to seeing how that plays out in the future.”
