It’s Not A Christmas Jingle 2024
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I, I, Iiiiiiiiiiii…
Don’t want a lot for Christmas.
There is just one thing I need…
A few less Christmas Carols that have been playing everywhere since we said goodbye to Halloween.
Is it me, or does Christmas start earlier every year?
Now I LOVE Christmas. So, I’m not a hater.
But I do know that we all get a little tired of hearing Mariah over and over at this point in the season.
So, it’s time for my annual attempt to change it up a bit and get you in the spirit of the holidays. Yep – it’s time for another round of... #NotAChristmasJingle, where I share 5 of my favourite Advertising jingles with you to break up the Christmas music.
As a child of the 80s, and with a brain possessing a weird talent for remembering the lyrics to 1000s of songs, the jingles of many an 80s and 90s TV ad take up permanent residence in my brain.
I feel like it's my duty to share the earworms to break up the Christmas jingles. While we’re at it, we’re also going to learn what makes each of these such a powerful, memorable marketing tool.
And with that, let’s kick off It’s Not A Christmas Jingle for 2024.
Not A Christmas Jingle #1
Reading Writing Hotline
First airing in 1992, and still making appearances on TVs across Australia, the Reading Writing Hotline jingle of - one three double oh, six triple five oh six – is arguably the longest, consistently running jingle in Australia.
And it’s absolutely iconic.
What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?
I remember finding it surprising when I was a kid that there were possibly adults in our community that couldn’t read or write.
That makes this ad incredibly important. How do you get people who can’t read or write remember a phone number to call so they can change that?
Well – you put it in a jingle of course.
And it worked.
In fact, putting phone numbers into clever jingles features more than once in my It’s Not A Christmas Jingles series for this year. What other number jingle might there be? Follow along to find out!
Not A Christmas Jingle #2
Weetbix
This one is an Australian Classic. So much so, that it has made appearances in many forms over the years, and there aren’t too many 40 year olds around that won’t know it (or associate it with the cricket!)
It’s Weetbix!
Because Aussie kids, are Weetbix kids of course!
What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?
This jingle leverages two marketing tactics that have been around since the dawn of advertising.
Patriotism (Aussie kids, are Weetbix kids) and kids being active, playing outside, being kids and being healthy. Which is what all parents want to provide for their children.
It’s not just memorable – it leverages emotion really well. And that’s what makes it stick out in our minds even now.
Not A Christmas Jingle #3
Tip Top
Good on you mum! Can you guess my next jingle from this one line?
If you can, then that’s Tip Top marks to you (sorry – I couldn’t help it – I love a pun).
It’s actually a super short, three-line jingle part of a spoken ad.
All we get is –
Good on you mum
Tip Top’s the one
Good on you mum
But goodness me does it stick inside your head!
What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?
The fact that this is only three lines that form part of a spoken ad, shows just how powerful putting something to a tune can be.
I could not for the life of me remember anything else about the ad.
Not one other word from it.
Not even the part about the Tip Top promise.
But we’re certainly able to remember that Tip Top’s the one. Which is incredibly powerful when we’re standing in the supermarket aisle. We sing the jingle in our head, remember the brand, connect it with the desire to be a good mum, and we buy Tip Top.
It’s a great piece of advertising that leverages emotion, and memory.
Not A Christmas Jingle #4
Pizza Hut
I told you there would be another number jingle this year.
And it’s the only one you’d remember for ordering pizza in Australia in the 90s.
One, three, double one, double six.
You guessed it – Pizza Hut Delivery
It saw life in many different Pizza Hut ad themes (the link will take you to one set in a hospital ward) and guess what – you can still call it to place an order!!
What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?
Simple. Repetitive. Mentions the phone number AND the name of the product.
It doesn’t get more ear wormy than this (and if you bop up and down swinging your arms when it gets into your head, then don’t worry – you’re not alone).
Not A Christmas Jingle #5
Chicken Tonight
Hold your hands under your armpits with your elbows bent.
Now flap them up and down.
You definitely must feel like Chicken Tonight!
Now there was the jingle. But I’ll also never forget the memorable line – Can we have Chicken Tonight, tomorrow? Which was so corny. But I’m not too big to admit I used it on my own mum many times.
What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?
This is a great jingle because it links the product to an action. And then there are all the clever plays on words, which help the jingle come out into real life conversations about family mealtimes.
This is what makes it truly great marketing beyond the power of the jingle – the fact that we can apply it in our reality.
I hope you enjoyed playing along!
And if you loved my Not A Christmas Jingle, you might love some of my other content on Instagram or Facebook.
Hope I’ll see you there!
