Band-Aid tops list of the most liked commercial jingles

Paul HiebertData Journalist
June 20, 2016, 1:35 PM GMT+0

With its memorable "I am stuck on Band-Aid" tune, Johnson & Johnson's popular bandage brand ranks first on our list of catchy jingles

Commercial jingles. Those two words alone can evoke any number of melodious catchphrases that cling to the brain for weeks. Like Peyton Manning, you might find yourself humming Nationwide's "Nationwide is on your side" slogan throughout the day. Another reason Nationwide's famous line is so recognizable: It's been in use since 1964.

According to new data from YouGov Profiles, 70% of Americans expect advertising to be entertaining. Since that's the case, and because music can often make or break how an audience receives a commercial, we asked people to name their favorite jingles from a list of 20 aired over the past several decades. The selections include everything from Coca-Cola's "I’d like to buy the world a Coke" to Gillette's "The best a man can get" to Meow Mix's repetitive yet infectious "Meow meow meow meow" — sung by cats.

The top ten jingles are ranked as follows:

As shown above, Band-Aid's "I'm stuck on Band-Aid" tops the list, followed by Folgers's "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup" and Klondike's "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" Nationwide came in at seventh place.

Rounding out the top 20 (hence not mentioned in the above graphic) sit Juicy Fruit's "The taste is gonna move ya" and Mentos's "Fresh goes better with Mentos, fresh and full of life" — in part because people seemed to recall these two tunes least. Not everyone can win all the time.

Some jingles have been around longer than others, demonstrating a resilience that has allowed marketers to use them in multiple campaigns aimed at different generations of consumers. Others come and go rather quickly, never to be heard again.

According to a study published in the Journal of Advertising Research, 62% of respondents recalled seeing a particular automobile ad after researchers told them the brand name, yet 83% recognized the commercial's jingle after hearing a 10-second clip. Needless to say, every marketer aims to create a melody that sticks with a consumer as strongly as, well, a Band-Aid.