Initially, a jingle was a short piece of music or, in other words, a call sign. It was a kind of information "calling card" of a particular radio station. In today's world, the definition of "jingle" for most people is associated with a musical verse of advertising content created to promote a certain type of product or service.
A standard jingle is three to fifteen seconds long.
Types of jingles
All jingles that exist today can be divided into several fairly large groups, including: radio and television, marketing, advertising, and even online jingles. For example, the most recognizable advertising compositions include branded musical screensavers from Intel and Coca-Cola.
Based on the foregoing, we can say that the ideal jingle is a commercial, listening or watching which even an uninterested listener or viewer can accurately determine whatit is the company or service (product) in question.
An individual or potential consumer who is positive and open to all sorts of innovations, hearing (seeing) a high-quality jingle, gets the opportunity to form a first impression of an upcoming social event, concert, new movie, recently released drugs, goods and services.
The literal meaning of the word "jingle"
The most common, high-frequency (frequently used) meaning of the English word jingle is Russian - “ringing”. A little less often, the translation of this word sounds like “musical screensaver” and “bell”.
The word jingle is the least commonly translated as "to ring".
Radiojingles
Radio jingles can be called a kind of "musical dinosaurs" of the air. At the beginning of the twentieth century, or, in other words, at a time of scarcity of good books and the absence of television, radio channels were especially popular. Each of the channels had its own jingle - a "call sign" transmitted hourly, as well as at the beginning and after the end of the next radio broadcast or news release.
Besides informational jingles, there was (and still is) on the radio another, special kind of musical compositions (let's call them work), without which the radio would cease to resemble a smoothly flowing music stream.
Working jingles are designed to smooth out too harsh or suddenly loud sounds (for example, when applying a “screaming” musical intro to the last chords of a fadingmusical composition).
Subsequently, non-musical jingles appeared on the radio (specialists call them liners). An example is the moment when the voice of a DJ is superimposed on the initial sounds of a piece of music. Sometimes, if necessary, the DJ can "intervene" in the middle or end of the melody and, in order for his voice to be heard, the sound background is muted for a while.
Jingle is an indicator of the professionalism of its creators
Producing a professional, memorable jingle (its duration, as mentioned above, can vary from three to fifteen seconds) is not only the vocalists and the composer.
Other professionals can be involved in this process, such as, for example, a sound engineer, arranger, announcer, poet … This means that the jingle will bring real popularity to the brand, and a big income to the development company only if if it is the result of highly skilled labor.
There have been cases where a promotional song verse was created in minutes using recordings already in music libraries. The fruits of such research were popular as long as they were on everyone's lips (that is, they were constantly broadcast on the air). However, this does not mean that non-professional jingles are not in demand.
Many advertisers use this method of conveying information as a bright wrapper, the purpose of which is to influence the opinion of target consumers, and,therefore, to bring closer a bargain. After the transaction is completed, there is no need for a "wrapper" anymore.
As you can see, jingles created by non-professionals can also be used. Non-unique advertising couplets are often used as a musical, visual or informational "frame" for all kinds of presentations, exhibitions, promotions and video seminars.
The reason why professionals capable of creating masterpieces settle for non-unique jingles is, according to some experts, the result of not being able to patent an advertising "chime" containing sounds such as wildlife noises or the hum of a motor.
Radio work package
Every self-respecting radio station has at least ten basic and at least three working jingles for each basic, news and specialized (sounding within a specific section or program) music intro.
By the way, some experts are inclined to believe that the jingle is a kind of working tool. Therefore, the more jingles, the better. Moreover, this statement is applicable not only to radio broadcasts, but also to all other areas.
Formation of the basis of the working package consists in the selection of the so-called image jingles - musical background tracks, on which the own musical material of the radio channel and the voice of the DJ (radio show host) ideally "lay down". The main condition is that each of the components must "fit" into the overall concept.
Jingles everyday and holidays
Standard advertising jingles are the so-called everyday advertising set. A self-respecting company, an online store or a radio channel that actively promotes its services, goods or airtime should have at least one or two holiday collections specially compiled for some large-scale, significant national holiday. For most people, these holidays are Christmas, New Year and Old New Year.
Probably why the New Year and Christmas ads are perhaps the most memorable part of the winter holidays.
General rule for identifying advertising "ringing"
The advertising "ring" must sound at least six times within an hour. Reminding itself in this way through a few quality themed jingles, any object that needs to be popularized will be doomed to popularity.
Expert Opinion
To an unknown radio or TV station, popularity will be worth at least ten main jingles and thirty working jingles, the latter being used as "links" for songs of different styles broadcast one after another. Moreover, at least ten working musical compositions should provide a transformation of a fast melody into a slow one, barely perceptible to the human ear, and vice versa.
As for the remaining twenty working musical fragments, they should be divided into energetic and moderate, morning and evening, welcome and farewell. Working jingles need to be updatedat least once a year.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude that a quality jingle is a well-thought-out strategy embodied in a specific form. A jingle can be a soundtrack, an image, and an advertising slogan. If initially the jingle was purely informational in nature, then the purpose of its modern counterpart is to find and then keep a potential consumer on the wave of a particular television, radio or virtual channel.
