@Subway: Marketing through song is as good as it gets
When ‘selling’ a product, isn’t it all about how you tell it?
Here are two approaches for a fictional razor company:
Close Shave Razor gives you a close shave with no nicks and scratches, smooth, fresh skin, and long-lasting, high-performance blades.
Or how about a song?
It’s a shave that you crave.
It’s a shave that you’ll rave.
It’s a shave that you’ll save.
It’s Close Shave Razor.
If I were a betting man, I’d say the song would be more effective at selling razors. It’s more memorable, unique, distinguishable. Anyone can rattle off benefit statements. Ideas happen when you set your product or service above the pack.
Companies have used songs to sell products for years.
- Coca-Cola’s Have a Coke and a Smile.
- Burger King’s Have it your way.
- Empire Carpet’s memorable phone number.
I’ve been a believer in this approach. A random Friday night in Waco, Texas made me an even firmer believer.
The place: A subway restaurant just a short armadillo’s walk from frenzied IH-35.
The scenario: I enter the store, which is connected to a crowded gas station, and get in line with 10 other patrons. A mother and son scan the menu while I try to get my bearings after a congested scramble on the roadway.
As I eye the Turkey Breast (my favorite) I hear:
“Five Dollar. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Foot LOOOOONNNNNG.”
“Five Dollar. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Foot LOOOOONNNNNG.”
I look skyward to find a loudspeaker probably piping in this recognizable jingle. As the song begins anew again, I realize that the jumpy youngster in front of me is singing the song in perfect pitch.
Mom tries to redirect her son to the menu of choices, but he is smitten with joy of what is to come: a succulent sandwich piled high with fresh meats, crunchy lettuce, juicy tomato.
As I entered the race back on IH-35, and crunched into my first bite of the Turkey Breast, a song entered into my head, and it wasn’t the one playing on the radio.
The power of the jingle is alive and well to sell product.
What are your favorite product jingles?
Naden’s Corner wants to know.
Until next time,
Dan Naden
