The brand jingle takeover you didn't see coming

You know the rapture's on its way when brand jingles are making a comeback.

And you know these are unprecedented times when the brand leading the resurgence is Ozempic.

But they’re not the only ones. Maybelline, Band-Aid, and Dude Wipes are among the many brands bringing back the relic of advertising’s past.

Love them or hate them (my bet is the latter), the musical ad slogans have been called 'peak marketing' of yesteryear.

And these three new campaigns might just prove the statement to be true.

1. O-o-O-Ozempic

You’ll hear it, and you may as well write off your day. Because that tune ain’t going nowhere.

Which has helped the brand owner, Novo Nordisk, to reach a 69% share of relevant market growth. 20% of that growth has occurred in 2024 alone, despite global supply shortages.

Ozempic leads the GLP-1 market specifically, with a 46% share.

I’m not saying it’s all because of the annoyingly catchy jingle. But watching a group of people dancing around a boxing ring singing about the diabetes drug with a weight loss effect certainly helps with brand recall.

2. Maybe it’s the most iconic jingle.

Earlier this month, I wrote about ‘Maybe It's Maybelline’ making a comeback for TikTok. This was following Band-Aid, which launched a revival of its ‘I am Stuck on Band-Aid’ jingle, which is almost 50 years old. A vintage, if you will, for the platform.

Band-Aid's video featured Disney actress Skai Jackson, who originally starred in a Band-Aid commercial when she was five years old. 16 years later, the brand has brought back their OG girl and tune to tap into her star power, and a little nostalgia, to capture the ever-popular Gen Z market.

3. 'Drop Your Drawers' aims to do the same for notoriously naughty Dude Wipes.

Creating parallels between old 80s ads like 'Raise Your Hands' for P&G’s Sure deodorant and Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum, 'Drop Your Drawers' has a campy, nostalgic feel.

'As ads have gotten shorter and shorter...we see so many ads in one sitting, and so brands are looking for something to break through,' Pete Carter, Principal of the consultancy Creative Haystack and a 40-year veteran of advertising development at Procter & Gamble Co, told AdAge.

'We’re kind of back to the 1950s, where jingles were prevalent, and they’re showing up in places you wouldn’t expect, such as healthcare. You know, that damn Jardiance commercial.'

But...why??

It's science, b*tch.

No literally. Jingles are an example of 'sonic branding,' a multimedia result of the technological age of advertising.

And while they cop a lot of flak, they’re effective. There’s neuroscience behind this. And it makes sense, right? As kids, we often learn things like the ABC's, days of the week, or months of the year through song.

When we watch an ad, audio drastically improves our memory of it. Through a recent study, SiriusXM found that audio proved to have a long-lasting impact on memory, with brand impressions lasting up to four months after hearing an ad.

When this audio is in the form of a jingle, and repeated over time, it leads to a far more detailed memory retrieval.

SO, when the jingle gets stuck in your head, so does the brand.

When the brand is front of mind, you’re more likely to choose it over its competitors.

Like I said, science b*tch.

-Sophie, Writer

🎶 Still can’t get that damn jingle out of your head? We go deep on why jingles are taking over again. 🎧 Watch the episode here!