by Adi Stein
By now it's probably invaded your psyche. Your body, mind; your spirit. It's true. The Highly Unreasonable Topic Competition song is catchy. A real earring worm, if you will. And because of that, you might be thinking to yourself, "That Adi Stein is some kind of evil genius." "No no no," I say back, "I'm not evil. I can pass my insight unto the future generations." And so it was thought, and so it shall be. Here are 5 easy steps to writing the next great jingle for your product:
- Have a product. Make sure you have something that demands a jingle. Whether it's a competition or a CD, make sure it exists. You can't have a jingle without a product, after all.
- The fewer syllables the better. Those reading this are probably more than familiar with my amazing ability to count syllables, and that has come in handy in my jingle-writing career. You see, the fewer syllables there are, the fewer notes are needed and the easier it is to create a simple jingle that is very memorable. I would recommend no more than 5 syllables for the beginner jingle writer.
- Rhythm is key. Your jingle should move at a good clip; a nice pace. It should have a catchy rhythm that is easy to remember. Think about all of the great jingles you've heard, after all. I mean, how great is the rhythm of the Nationwide jingle? ♫ Nationwide is on your side ♫ Great. Now that's gonna be stuck in my head all day.
- Reduce, reuse, refine. Sometimes it is true that the first draft is the best draft, but only sometimes. More often than not the jingle needs to be retooled and reworked. Cut out the fat, slim it down, and make sure it’s as short and sweet as possible. Here’s a hint: You’re words are not too precious to be deleted.
- Sharing is caring. In this highly competitive world, we often don’t want to share our work out of fear that it will be stolen, but your jingle must be shared! People need to know! After all, what is the point of a jingle if you’re not going to get it stuck in people’s heads? ♫ Nationwide is on your side ♫ dammit
And there you have it! My five easy steps to jingle nirvana. Enjoy, spread the word, and remember that ♫ Nationwide is on your side ♫ AHHHHHHHHHAD;SKVNDM-==P=--------------------