The Unknowns and Knowns

Right now in the US and around the world, people are wondering about the economy.  Will the new administration do some things that will upset consumer confidence in the long-term? Or in the short term? Those are “Unknowns”. There are “Knowns” however, and one of them, without a doubt, is this:  music branding for small, medium, and large businesses still remains the most effective way to drive and expand your customer base. It could be an actual song for your business.  Not a cheesy, jingley piece of crap, but a true “Earworm”.  A hit song for your business to use as a marketing tool.  There are now more platforms than ever to help spread your marketing message. . . to get eyeballs and ears.  And make no mistake, jingle writing is no easy feat.  It sometimes takes decades to develop the composition and production chops required to write killer hooks and earworms.  And here’s a key thing for any business owner to understand:  when we write a jingle, we are writing that jingle completely targeting your demographic audience.  Of course we want you to love your new jingle, but the most important thing is it’s loved and remembered by your potential clients.  Just because YOU love Bruce Springsteen doesn’t mean a Bruce Springsteen type jingle will work and drive business to your website and through your door.  So let’s get together and make a monstrous musical hit song for your business!  What are you waiting for?

A Hit Song for Your Business

Jingles can sometimes come off as cheesy. Even really good jingles, sometimes because we have to sing really awkward lyrics about the business, that’s just the way it goes.  But we don’t write jingles. We write great 30 and 60 second BRANDING songs for a clients.  Sometimes, we can take these vocals out of the middle section to deliver your message via Voiceover, but either way we’re done with writing jingles as the world knows them.  We made a deliberate switch in the last year or so, determined to write hit songs for our clients that have BRANDING power!  And we’re not new to this.  We wrote a hit song in the 80's called “Let Your Body Rock” and you can check it out on Spotify under Columbia records, performed by a group called Champaign.  Or look up Champaign‘s performance of "Let Your Body Rock" on Dick Clark's (American Bandstand) on YouTube.  These days we find ourselves working with the recording artist Charlie John to produce his awesome music.  So everything has come full circle for us.  Our clients love this approach and I have to say the end results prove it out!  So if you’re looking for a catchy tune to brand your business or the business of someone you know, go ahead and reach out to us. We’d love to put them on the map!

Jingles. . . The Timeless Marketing Tool.

At this point, most people in the marketing game understand that branding music is a strongest way to convey a message, both on mainstream media and other platforms.  Specifically, jingles.  Sometimes as little as a three note melody can explode into an unforgettable earworm. You hear them all the time in pop music.  Jingles are just a shorter means to an end. Take Taylor Swift's smash hit "Cruel Summer" from the movie “Barbie”. The first two bars of the catchy hook contain just three notes. That’s it:  “And it’s new, the shape of your body. It’s blue, the feeling I’ve got…”.  simple yet powerful. A great jingle is just that.  And a great jingle can be the difference between business failure, and business success.  Here’s the catch:  there are a few jingle companies out there who don’t produce great jingles. Their product is bad to average.  No memorability.  No earworm.   These companies even create websites. . . often without demos on them, to lure unsuspecting small business owners into signing a contract. You can probably guess the end result. You just have to ask yourself a few key questions:

Have any of the individuals with these “jingle” companies written a hit song for top 40 radio?  We have.

Have any of the individuals with these “jingle” companies written music for film? We have.

Have any of the individuals with these “jingle” companies written music for TV?  We have.

If you own a business that has never dealt with using jingles for branding purposes, it can be somewhat intimidating.  And that’s totally understandable.  At Creative Mills Productions, we take the time to walk you through every step of the way. No question is a bad question and 99% of the time, the end product. . . the jingle. . . creates monstrous brand awareness that could never come from the spoken word or some kind of gimmicky animation.  When done right, jingles work.  Just make sure you get with the right jingle partner. And that’s us.

Buy a Jingle. . . Save Some Money!

Most businesses we talk to think that spending money on a Customized Jingle is a "Big Expense" but in reality, a Customized Jingle will save you money.  A lot of money.  It’s pretty simple really.  If you’re advertising on Radio, TV, You Tube or any other platform, every time you have a new spot produced, it’s can cost somewhere between $400 and $1000 per spot for full production.  So if you have say, 6 new commercials created each year for your business over 2 years time, you’re paying somewhere in the ballpark of $2,400-$6,000.  Ouch.  Now, you could opt to have a local radio or TV station do the production, which, ahem, with a few exceptions, we seriously don’t recommend.

BUT, if you already have a kick ass Jingle, you can air your Full Sing Jingle anywhere, on any platform with no production costs.  Your messaging is already built into the Jingle.  If you want to alter some specific messaging, like say a special deal you have going on, you can simply use a “Sing In” version of your Jingle (vocals at the beginning) or a “Sing Out” version of your Jingle (vocals and the end), of even a “Donut” version of your Jingle (Vocals at just the beginning and the end with space in the middle for an announcer you only have to account for the voice over and script which dramatically reduces your cost.  You’re not dealing with massive creative, music library costs, effects costs, multiple voice talent and/or on screen costs, etc.  Why?  Because you’re killer branding element is already in place.  It’s called your Killer Jingle Hook which is being ear wormed into every listeners helpless brain whether they like it or not.

Look, the effective use of Jingles has been well documented.  Go ahead.  Google it.  Great Jingles beat every other form of creative when it comes to creating massive brand awareness for your company.  Enjoy it.  And save some big bucks while you’re at it.  

I'm a Jingle Producer?

Jingles Rooted in Rock Star Dreams

Creative Mills Productions is a very successful music, voiceover, and audio production company which I own with my wife. And we have done a ton of Jingles.  And by we, I mean me, because I am the Jingle writer and producer.  But I’m wondering how I got here. I’m very successful largely because I can write punchy memorable jingles with big hooks.  It didn’t start out like this though.  

When I was 15, a gospel band from Minneapolis was doing a church tour in our town.  When they came to our church, my mentor and high school music director, Mr. Bartosz somehow got word their sax player was sick and couldn’t perform that weekend so he called me and asked if I would be interested in filling in.  Of course I said yes!  When I got to the church before the first show, waiting there were about ten or eleven 40 year old musicians.  We rehearsed a bit and I remember thinking, “These guys are ridiculous!  There’s no way I can hang with them chops-wise.  4 shows, 16 sax solos later, followed by standing ovations. . . it was ballgame.  THIS was what I was born to do.  Music. 

When I was 16 years old doing gigs all over Chicagoland with my nine piece band, playing Chicago and the Doobies, I was picturing myself writing huge hit songs, touring all over the country, and collecting big paychecks. Basically, you know, becoming a rockstar.  After high school while I was in college, I hooked up with a few really talented musicians, including a killer singer, my current wife.  I co-wrote a semi successful hit song during this time for Columbia records.  We toured together for the better part of 10 years.  Not one Jingle written yet. We had a baby, then another baby… still no jingles.  

Jingle Production - The Evolution

But then something happened. I ended up working for a behemoth radio group and producing commercials for a variety of clients. And I mean, a lot of clients. Turns out… Many of these clients wanted to hear their name sung in their commercial.  You know, like a song, so that’s what I did. I produced radio commercials by day and wrote and produced killer jingles at night in my home studio.  Jingle after a jingle after jingle after jingle.  That started about 25 years ago and I’m still at it.  It started with a dream about being in the Doobie Brothers.  All I know is… life is funny. Oh, and if you need a killer jingle, I can write and produce one for you that’ll stick with your clients.  And I love doing it.

The Jingle Writing Process Explained

Jingle Magic Out of Thin Air

Some friends have asked me recently “What’s it like to take on a job like writing a Jingle for a new client?"  Honestly, It seems like a good question to me.  We’ve been writing and producing jingles for so long now that I think we take it for granted. So I thought… Why not reverse engineer the whole Jingle process?  It might open some eyes for some people.  It might even open my own!

Where to begin. OK, so first off, we're contacted by a business, usually someone in their marketing department.  If they want a jingle our Client Services Director will talk to them and try to dig down and see what is it that they do, what their budget is, and find out if they have a slogan  At that point we put together a job jacket, which includes a Jingle request form with all pertinent info and a copy of our contract with the client so we can see specifically what kind of Jingle package they want.  Then it goes to me, the official Creative Mills Jingle composer/producer.  The first thing I do is look at the name of the client and their slogan.  Then I compose the melody using those words in my head.  (I’ve been writing jingles for so long that my brain immediately edits out any weak ideas. Seriously.) Now I need to create the music.  For this jingle, it’s going to be a 30 second sing out.  
 
Jingle Execution

I head to the studio, where I create a ProTools recording session for our new client.  When I compose music, I prefer using piano to begin sketching things out.  All I’m looking for at this point is the music for the end of the jingle… The Sing Out. I’ve already got the melody, so I just need to come up with chords that will sound really good with the melody.  This usually doesn’t take any time at all.  So now I’ve got the Sing Out with the right lyrics and the right melody (I always record what’s called a "dummy vocal") and the right piano chords.  

A :30 Jingle Has to be Exactly 29.9

I’m creating a :30 Sing Out, so the whole thing has to come in at 29.9 seconds.  This is the real challenge. At this point I start at the beginning of the Jingle and begin writing the music that will lead into the last four or five seconds of vocals (the jingle Sing Out).  Now I’m dealing with the musical genre. What does the client want? We’ve already had a conference call with the client and I know exactly what I’m going to to do to fill out the rest of the jingle.  Once I’ve got the music written, I put together some drums and percussion, filling out the rest of the music spectrum with genre specific instrumentation.  If I need somebody to play something specific, I’ll reach out to one of our musician friends to play the part.  Now comes the singing part. Luckily, we have some killer in-house vocalists!  I put the finishing production touches on it, which include reverb and spatial mixing and mastering.  At this point it’s usually a good idea for me to get away from the jingle for a day or so to give me some objectivity. Once I listen to it again, I might make some minor changes and off to the client it goes!

Wow. I do all that whenever we do a jingle? I'm seriously almost unconscious during this process because I’ve done it so many times.  So there it is; the magic behind the curtain and… I feel like I’ve had a good therapy session.  Who knew? 

Jingles Worked Then And They Work Now.

As you know, Jingles are short, catchy musical tunes often used in advertising to promote a brand or product. They can be instrumental or include lyrics, and their primary purpose is to create a memorable and positive association with a business. Here are some reasons why jingles can be effective in attracting new customers to businesses:

Jingle Memorability:

Jingles are designed to be easily remembered. The repetitive and simple nature of a jingle makes it more likely that people will recall the tune and associate it with the brand.  The Brand’s slogan is a critical part of this.  When we work with clients, this is where we see the most problems.  You know, like putting 15 pounds of potatoes in a 10 pound back.  Brevity and Singability are paramount!

Jingle Brand Recognition:

Jingles can help build strong brand recognition. When potential customers hear a jingle repeatedly, it becomes closely tied to the brand, making it more likely that they will remember and recognize the business when making purchasing decisions.  So what does this mean?  It means when your business uses your jingle on radio or TV or online platforms, make sure people are hearing it with great frequency.  Or simply put….alot.

Jingles create Emotional Connection:

A well-crafted jingle can evoke emotions and create a positive connection with the brand. Emotionally resonant jingles have the power to influence consumers' feelings and attitudes towards a product or service.  Think of it like a hit song you can’t get out of your head.  It may drive you crazy after a month but those words and melodies are in your head! 

Jingles Create Separation:

In a crowded market, a distinctive jingle can set a business apart from its competitors. If the jingle is unique and stands out, it can become a memorable aspect of the brand, helping the business to differentiate itself in consumers' minds.

Jingles Provide Clarity:

Jingles usually convey a simple and clear message. This simplicity helps in conveying important information about the product or brand in a concise and easily understandable manner.

Jingles Stick:

The combination of music and lyrics in a jingle can enhance memory recall. People are more likely to remember a brand or product when it is associated with a catchy and melodic tune.

To sum it up, jingles have the potential to create a lasting impression on consumers, making them more likely to remember and choose a particular brand when making purchasing decisions. The emotional connection, brand recognition, and differentiation provided by a jingle written with heart, great lyrics, and killer melodies contribute to its effectiveness in attracting new customers to businesses.

Think AI Can Write Your Jingle? Yeah, Right.

We are not AI.  We're real people with A LOT of real experience!  Twenty five plus years of getting inside people's heads with unforgettable hooks that translate into name recognition for your business, and thus, sales.  No AI here folks.  We have hearts and pulses and feelings.  And we want to connect in a human way with you and your customers.  We take the time to connect.  To interact.  To feel.  AI can’t do that.  Jingles are one of the best ways to put your business's name into the heads of potential customers.  There's really no comparison.

Take the time to go deep on our website and listen. Really listen to our work.  It almost sounds like we’ve written a hit song or two.  Oh. Right.  Because WE HAVE.  Do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time by using “A Guy The Boss Knows”, or going to some jingle websites that Don’t Actually Have Examples of Their Work.  We write and produce great Jingles.  Period.  And we want to put your business on the map.  Give us a call, or email us when you get a chance.  You won’t regret it.  We look forward to actually talking with you!

Spending a lot on Radio, TV and Social Media for Your Jingle to Work?

Do you have to spend a lot of money on Radio, TV, and Social Media for a jingle to work?

The effectiveness of a jingle in advertising or branding doesn't necessarily depend on the amount of money spent on Radio and TV. While having a bigger budget can potentially help reach a wider audience and increase the frequency of airing the jingle, the key to a successful jingle lies in its creativity, memorability, and relevance to the target audience.

Here are some important factors to consider:

Creativity and Catchiness: A well-crafted jingle that is catchy and memorable can leave a lasting impression on listeners. If the jingle is enjoyable and resonates with the audience, it can be highly effective in conveying the message and product.

Targeted Reach: Understanding the target audience and choosing the right media channels to reach them is crucial. This way, your jingle can be more effective even with a smaller budget.

Repetition: While a larger budget can afford more airtime, consistent repetition of a jingle over time is more important for creating familiarity and building brand recall. Even with a limited budget, a strategically placed and frequently aired jingle can make an impact.

Production Quality: While you don't need to break the bank, working with a jingle company that has experienced pro writers and producers is critical. If your jingle is airing on a music radio station, it has to stand up to all the songs that are produced in LA, Nashville, etc.  A poorly produced jingle is not going to cut it.

Measuring Success: Utilize tracking and analytics tools to measure the jingle's impact. This will help you understand how effective it is so you can adjust your marketing strategy.

So yes, while having a substantial budget for Radio and TV can certainly boost the reach of your jingle, it's not the only reason for its success. A creative, relevant, and well-targeted jingle can make a significant impact even with a modest budget. The key is to focus on the quality of the jingle and its strategic deployment to connect with the intended audience effectively.

Jingles Still Matter

In today's highly competitive business landscape, where consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements and information, capturing their attention and leaving a lasting impression is more challenging than ever. This is where a jingle can be a powerful tool for your business. Here are a few reasons why having a jingle is essential now more than ever:

Brand Recognition: A well-crafted jingle helps in building strong brand recognition. When people hear your jingle repeatedly, it becomes ingrained in their minds. It creates a strong association between the melody and your brand, making it easier for customers to remember you when they need your product or service. In a crowded market, having that instant recognition can give you a competitive edge.

Emotional Connection: A jingle has the ability to evoke emotions and create a connection with your target audience. Through catchy melodies and clever lyrics, you can tap into the emotions of your customers, triggering positive feelings and associations with your brand. Emotional connections can lead to increased brand loyalty, customer engagement, and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Memorability: A jingle's repetitive nature and catchy tune make it highly memorable. Humans have a natural inclination to remember melodies and songs. By incorporating your brand name, slogan, or key message into a jingle, you provide customers with an easily recallable piece of content. When they need a product or service that your business offers, your jingle can instantly pop into their heads, giving you an advantage over competitors.

Stand Out from the Crowd: In a saturated marketplace, businesses need to find unique ways to differentiate themselves. A well-crafted jingle can help you stand out from the competition by adding personality and character to your brand. It can showcase your brand's values, tone, and distinctiveness, making you more memorable and appealing to customers.

There are lots of reasons having a jingle for your business is crucial in today's competitive environment to enhance brand recognition, create emotional connections, boost memorability, and stand out from the crowd. A catchy tune can be a powerful asset that resonates with customers and keeps your brand at the forefront of their minds.

Why Jingles Work in Today's Advertising

Jingles have been a staple in advertising for decades. From the catchy “I’m Lovin’ It” McDonald’s jingle to the iconic “Kit-Kat” jingle, we’ve all heard and hummed along to a jingle at some point in our lives. But with the rise of digital advertising and the shift towards more visual and interactive content, are jingles still relevant in today’s advertising landscape?

The short answer is yes. Jingles are still a powerful tool for brands to communicate their message and connect with their audience. Here are some reasons why:

1.   Memorable: Jingles are designed to be catchy and memorable. They often feature a simple melody and repetitive lyrics that stick in your head long after you’ve heard them. This makes them a great way for brands to establish their identity and create brand recognition.

2.   Emotional: Music has the power to evoke strong emotions and memories. A well-crafted jingle can create a positive emotional response towards a brand and help to build an emotional connection with its audience.

3.   Differentiation: In a crowded market, it’s important for brands to stand out. A unique and memorable jingle can help a brand differentiate itself from its competitors and create a distinct voice.

4.   Multi-platform: Jingles can be used across a variety of platforms, from TV and radio ads to social media and mobile apps. This makes them a versatile tool for brands to use in their advertising campaigns.

5.   Timeless: Some of the most memorable jingles are those that have stood the test of time. Brands like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola have been using the same jingles for decades, and they continue to resonate with audiences today.

To sum it up, jingles are still relevant in today’s advertising landscape. They are a powerful tool for brands to communicate their message, build brand recognition, and create an emotional connection with their audience. So, if you’re looking to create a memorable and effective advertising campaign, don’t overlook the power of a well-crafted jingle.

Your Role in Your Success

Lawyers, orthopedic surgeons, tech developers, optometrists, engineers, brain surgeons, elite composers/producers, and yes, even plumbers have a masters degree.  I know what you’re thinking.  Plumbers have a masters degree? Hard to swallow when you have that much student debt and spent that much time becoming an engineer. But while you were spending that much time becoming an engineer, an excellent plumber is spending more time than that going through an intense internship and massive training. Once they’ve been on the job for about 20 years, they’ve got their masters. So, there are two ways to look at this: 

1. When the time comes, that piece of paper you get that says "Masters Degree" on the front of it instantly gives you worldwide credibility.

2.  The body of work by a vendor, say a plumber, with a slew of satisfied clients really stands out. Their wealth of experience and ability to interact with clients in a way that won’t make their head explode about a subject you personally know very little about. . . well, they have to prove themselves over and over again day after day after day.

As a company who easily slides into that second group, we’ve seen this scenario play out over and over again, costing us thousands of dollars while working on just one project.  I would say this has been the singular most frustrating aspect of running our business. There are basically two products that generate most of our income:   High quality male and female voiceovers and top-shelf jingles with a LA/Nashville sound.  We also write and produce custom music and song parodies for corporate and other events, as well as spots for social media and yes, radio. . . . good old terrestrial radio that still exists somehow.  

How were we successfully able to slide into that two slot?  We’ve managed to stay together for a long time and learned all of the lessons that needed to be learned together.  Yes, we had the talent to start the long haul, but we put in the work.  We were in a nationally touring band called One-Eighty all the way through the '80's.  During that time we also sang background vocals, performed sax solos and other parts for the R & B group Champaign and Columbia Records.  During that time one of our songs got the attention of Earth Wind and Fire's producer and. . . he loved it!  Unfortunately, he did not love it for us… he loved it for Champaign, who we were working hard with every day, getting our collective masters in writing great songs and hooks. So here we are. Having played and sung six days a week 48 weeks a year in the 80s, while grinding away learning about engineering, producing, and the fine art of getting a singer to dig down deep and give you something that he doesn’t yet know he has. One-Eighty rolled on.

At the same time we're also getting a ton of experience singing in the studio. Way different than singing live.  In addition, how to process the vocals onto tape. (I know. I just heard about 400 35 year-old aspiring producers’ minds explode with the throwback tech reference.)  Sorry about that.

When our baby number one came along in '88, I put my radio shock jock hat on and started my first radio gig doing mornings in LaSalle/Peru Illinois.  Soon after, moved on to Lansing Michigan, followed by Virginia Beach for a priceless education at Studio Center.  Finally, after having 3 kids in 3 different states, we finally settled in Cincinnati Ohio.  We formed Creative Mills Productions LLC around 1995 and have been out here slinging mind blowing jingles, voieovers and radio spots ever since.

So here’s the problem: Many of our clients, want to be in control of the project. That happens for a lot of different reasons.  Some of the obvious ones are: fear, lack of knowledge, wanting to prove themselves as marketing directors to their boss, having such easy access to Spotify and all the music they love, they feel that they in some way know music the same way experienced and talented Composers/Producers and Plumbers do. 

And here’s the solution:  You obviously need to your due diligence when hiring a vendor, in this case to create a jingle that will have maximum impact on your business.  Once you make the choice, trust the process and trust your plumber.  Because after all, what the hell do you know about Plumbing?      

October 2022 Newsletter

Crankin' Out Creative, Top-Shelf Audio for Over 25 Years

We hope you had a great summer! We were busier than ever, but did have a chance to put together a new Jingle Montage Demo.  Check it out Here, and then give us a call if you're ready for a sound of your own. 

This is our fifth year working with JS Moran Events, providing song parodies tailored to the winners of The Provider's Council of Massachusetts' Awards of Excellence.  Click here to see one of the 13 Parody Videos we produced, featuring one of Harry Styles' recent hits for a well deserving awardee Magela Correa, and here to see our version of Lizzo's "It's About Damn Time" for winner Vera Marshall.

Earlier this year we had the pleasure of workin' with 20/20 Advertising on a new Jingle for The Workin' Guys Store. Well, that one was in English, and worked out great, but as we all know it's important to appeal to Spanish speakers too!  So, we got to work, and came up with This catchy version in Español, featuring the very talented singer/songwriter Joe Blandino.

It’s Not “Just” a Jingle.

Most small businesses really don’t understand the sheer domination a great jingle can have over their competitors in the marketplace.  I mean, we have documented evidence that supports this fact.  For example, if there are 3-5 Auto Glass replacement companies in one specific zip code, one of those companies will have the ability attract a majority of the potential customers. You don’t need an expensive agency, a complicated marketing plan, or a local tv or radio sales rep who is promising you a bunch of free local spot avails (all of which are between the hours of 7 pm and 6 am).  What you need is a KILLER Jingle that floods the market and STICKS in the brains of your demographic. Sometimes smaller businesses will get scammed by someone in radio or TV, on the interweb or social media who will promise a great jingle for the low, low price of $195.  Look, everybody should know this by now.  You get what you pay for!  If I’m only willing to buy a used car for 5,000 bucks, that’s what I get.  And if I’m willing to spend $15,000 THATS what I’ll get.  A great jingle can destroy your competition in a very short period of time.   Very few “Jingle Companies” can provide that for you.  We can.  Make the right decision.  It’s not “just” a jingle.  It’s survival.

Expect Versatility.

So you’re looking for a jingle. Of course the first thing you do is Google jingle companies, right? And there will be a couple of them that’ll show up.  But aside from us, nothing consistently great there.  I’m well past the point of giving other jingle companies any compliments. The reality is, starting with the great recession all the way through 2020, there’s been a thinning of the herd as far as Production Houses like us. We survived and thrived.  Just fire up our homepage, listen to our work, then compare it to any others who say they offer jingles, and most of you will hear for yourself.  But the real separator is not just greatness, but versatility.  As in different musical genres.  Being able to cover that much ground musically and still maintain 
our bar of excellence puts us in elite company.  We can literally execute any type of jingle with any type of vocal or instrumentation, and we’ve done almost all of them over the last 30 years.  I played my first professional gig at age 15.  First big studio session at age 18 Inside Acme Recording Studios just off Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, engineered by the great Mike Rasfeld.  Most musicians we work with have simiar backstories.  Throw in about 10 years touring, and a hit single… And THAT is how you master versatility.  So Challenge Us.   If you think you want something specific, on or off the beaten path musically, email or call… and we’ll help you knock it out of the park. Everybody stay loose out there!  Expect versatility.  Expect greatness.

We Just Moved On.

Well we did it.  “We did it, we did it, we did it, we did it in a minute“, according to Daryl Hall and John Oates.  OK, not really. What am I talking about?  Massive upheaval.  Universal change. Revamped ideology.  We crashed the capital j-i-n-g-l-e world.  Wait, No No No!  We’re not those guys!  I’m talking about the fact that after 21 years, we moved!  People have lived far longer in one home.  I know this because. . . well . . . everybody knows this.  But how many people do you know moved into a house with kids age 4, 7, and 11. . . and moved out with kids age 26, 28, and 32??  OK, a lot of people.  But it feels like forever to us.  38 total years of basketball, soccer, football, but most importantly, baseball and fast pitch softball. . . a lot of the latter in travel ball. You may ask yourself, “Why so much sports?”  Well, I can tell you one thing. It’s not because a “certain dad” had Big League dreams and felt bitter his whole life because he really wasgood enough at baseball to be a big leaguer.  Supremely gifted enough as a quarterback to play in the minor leagues of the Canadian football league.  Sodominating in basketball (He had hops, major hops).  I mean, you could slide a credit card under his Jordans when he skyed for a rebound), yet Jordan’s GM, Jerry Krause, never so much as picked up the phone, or sent a carrier pigeon to his house to let him know he was wanted.  But I digress.  We moved.  Big whoops.  Now we are producing jingles, voice acting, writing sync music for media placement, and producing spots. . . and we’re here.  Living with our oldest son, an amazing video editor, (don’t make me brag about kids 2 and 3) three dogs, and a cat who thinks he’s a dog.  Life is good.

Hear Here!

Let’s get something straight.  There are no smoke and mirrors here at Creative Mills.  When you go to www.creativemills.com and see and hear our world class Jingles, Voiceovers, Radio/TV Spots and Music…you’re getting Creative Mills “Uncensored”.  It’s exactly what you (our client) get when you hire us.  I bring this up because recently we’ve been getting a lot of very “genre specific” Music requests.  As in: “We’re looking for a jingle with mandolin, marching band drums, a group of puppies barking, and Tall Singers….have you guys done something like that?  If you have, could you send it over so we can play it for our client?”   Uhhhh…well, no…we haven’t done anything remotely like that. But, we can absolutely do that for you and knock it out of the park!  Look. We’re Composers.  We’re Composing here.  We’ve Composed!  We’ve spent our entire adult lives as  professional musicians/composers/producers.  We know how to get it done.  By the way, we also haven’t done a jingle featuring Aeolian Harp, Gravikord, with Swedish Financial Planners on vocals.  But we could.  After all, our job is to help  you and your business succeed.  If you don’t succeed, WE don’t succeed.  The message here is this:  You reach a certain point as a professional producer, writer, musician, and voice talent where you develop an extremely “high end” track record.  And that track record speaks for itself.  So check out our stuff, talk with our client references, and trust your gut.  What you see and hear IS what you get. 

Jingles. Your Secret Weapon.

Here’s an interesting fact: In 2020, some people assume that jingles aren’t effective anymore.  Seriously. Let me say that again.  Some human beings think that jingles do not work as an advertising tool anymore.  That’s right.  Even though you can hear jingles at work every single day on a plethora of advertising platforms, some people aren’t aware!  I’m not talking about just radio here, even though radio is still doing pretty well. A recent Nielsen survey found that 83% of consumers say they’re listening to as much or more radio as they were before the pandemic.  Surprised?  Don’t be. Jingles can move mountains when it comes to connection with your key demographic, and over the long haul, can be a lot cheaper then other forms of advertising.  Don’t just listen to me.  Zimmer Cummincations, a media company that’s been around for 64 years and is currently “killing it” says: 

“One of the main benefits of jingles is that they are memorable and stick in our heads. This is primarily a function of repetition. After hearing a jingle repeated on the radio throughout the day, they tend to stick in people’s heads and often pop up at random times. And as we know, two of the major keys to successful marketing efforts are consistency and frequency. In general, the shorter your jingle is, the better because you’ll be able to repeat it multiple times during a single spot to increase frequency. Finally, rhymes tend to stick in our memories because it helps encode information in our brains more easily.”

Okay.  I’ll give it a rest.  But one last thing.  Think about that last bit.  Many of our Jingle clients want us to shoehorn 18 words into a Jingle Sing Out, you know, where you only hear the singers at the end.  Keep it short and simple.  The Power is in the Paucity of the message.  Hey…who knows?  Maybe you too could have your own Secret Weapon.

Creating through Sickness and Chaos

Like most people who run a small business, my partner and I were understandably a lot nervous during the early part of this pandemic. I mean who’s going to increase their advertising dollars in 2020, right?  Plus, our whole deal is creativity and how are we going to stay super creative with the stress we’re all experiencing?  How are we gonna come up with these alarmingly most excellent marketing tools?  Do you think awesome jingle earworms write themselves?  OK… Sometimes they write themselves…this is true.  But not always.  Sometimes writing and producing a great Jingle is like going through a gut wrenching bloody siege just trying to survive and live to fight another day.  Whew!  OK, who am I kidding?  We were born to do this. We knew we were going to do this when we were say, eight years old.  The world is going through very bad time.   And we are lucky enough to be able to create music and move people emotionally.  Just very blessed actually.  Everybody stay safe.

Everyone Take a Deep Breath.

In times like these there’s only one unifying entity out there. And you know what it is. It’s the one tool we all have to have to battle despair, depression, anxiety. . . or feeling like everything is lost.  What is it? Well of course. . . It’s music!  

The majority of us can’t do a damn thing about what’s happening right now, about one week after the election.  But you canlisten to music that makes you feel better.  Not somebody else’s music. . . YOUR music.  Your playlist.
Music that you have a relationship with.  Music that reminds you of good times.  Music that takes you back to certain events from the past that feel good.  Music is an excellent way to tune out all the shouting and the noise. As a creator and producer of music, this is something I have to remind myself of constantly. Because I hear music in a different way than most people it’s tough for me to enjoy it this way. . . But I’m gonna try!

So unplug from the noise and put on some good tunes! Maybe something from the mid 80s, or something from the early 2000s. You’ll know it when you hear it.  So take a deep breath. And hit play on the tunes.