There was an era when advertising used to be simple. If a brand had a message, it went ahead and communicated it. This mostly involved narration on the radio about the features of a particular product.
Then, in 1926, someone decided to do something different.
Instead of simply talking about a product, they started singing about it.
This product was “Wheaties,” a brand of breakfast cereal which had been experiencing problems establishing itself in the marketplace.The broadcast took place on December 24, 1926; the song was entitled “Have You Tried Wheaties?” It is widely recognized as the first commercial radio jingle.
Initially, it may not have looked like a revolutionary idea at all. There were only some voices, some melody, and a brand name.
But listeners remembered it.
And that was the point.
When a Brand Found Its Voice
The Wheaties jingle did something a normal advertisement couldn’t do as easily. It gave the brand a sound.
People could hear the name, follow the tune, and remember the message without sitting down and consciously trying to remember an advertisement.
There was another interesting part to the story. The jingle was broadcast regularly around Minneapolis-St. Paul, where a large share of Wheaties’ sales were happening. That connection eventually helped convince the company to take the radio campaign to more markets. Sales then grew significantly.
Advertising had discovered something important:
Messages that can be felt as well as heard are more likely to be remembered.
From Radio Waves to Brand Memories
That little experiment helped open the door for generations of jingles.
Soon after that, music was used in advertisements for introducing products, promotions, establishing presence and building an image which people would be able to associate instantly. Even though the media may have changed from radio to TV and then to the digital medium, the concept remained the same.
A good jingle doesn’t feel like a long sales pitch. It feels like a small story with a melody.
And that idea is still relevant today.
Modern companies are able to create festive jingles, promotional jingles, informative jingles, brand music, voice messages and chorus jingles for giving their advertising campaign some unique identity. For example, the company named Jingle ads develops custom audio jingles using 50+ artists and more than 18 languages.
Almost 100 Years Later, the Idea Still Works
Think about the last time a tune from an advertisement suddenly came back to you—even years later.
That’s the real power of a jingle.
The first radio jingle didn’t just sell cereal. It showed advertisers that sound could become part of a brand’s identity.
Almost a century later, brands are still using the same concept:
Say it. Sing it. Make people remember it.
And that is how one little tune helped change advertising forever.
