I was 18 years old when I experienced the excitement of participating in the first edition of Rock In Rio, one of the greatest Rock’n Roll festivals in the world, which took place in 1985 in the old City of Rock, located in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro.

The event lasted 10 days, with a total of 1 million and 380 thousand spectators. The sensation was unforgettable. It rained a lot that day and I remember my AllStar sneakers being full of mud, my jeans sticking to my body, which was all wet, my hair was soaked but my soul was so happy.

I will never be able to describe in words the impact the concerts had on me. While I hugged my friends, tears came to my eyes when I heard James Taylor singing You’ve got a friend. I was part of it!

That’s why, every time I listen to the Rock in Rio theme song, created by the band Roupa Nova, I become a teenager again and instantly transport myself to that time in my life, feeling like I’m there again.

if life started now

if life started now
And the world was ours again
And we never stopped singing, dreaming

May life begin now
And the world was ours for good
And we never stopped loving each other, giving, living

whoa, whoa, whoa
Rock in Rio
whoa, whoa, whoa
Rock in Rio

In terms of Marketing, this is one of the reasons why creating sound experiences for consumers makes brands move from being just providers of products and services to being triggers of emotions.

The remarkable experiences that we live are stored in the autobiographical memory and are transformed into valuable vehicles which produce identity¹. This concept is reinforced by a study³ that consisted of evaluating the influence of jingles from the 1980s and 1990s among individuals who were still children in these decades. Most participants did not have the financial resources to purchase the advertised products and services, but even so, the jingles of these campaigns were registered in their memories as important references in their lives at that time, reminding them of significant moments shared with the family and friends.

These memories were solidified as part of their identity, showing that the jingle is not only a commercial piece of music, but also a part of the life stories of those who were emotionally impacted by them, even without proceeding to consume.

Many times, a jingle does not sell a product or service, but rather presents a stimulus for a new way of seeing life, encouraging new attitudes and thoughts. As an example, I cite one that touches me a lot, named “A new time”, created by Nelson Motta, Marcos Valle and Paulo Sergio Valle in 1971 for the end of the year commercial on Rede Globo, in which several of the network’s artists appear singing together.

After the streaming revolution, I rarely watch network TV, but whenever this song is played at end of the year, I’ll stop whatever I’m doing anywhere I might be, to sing along, close my eyes and remember so many milestones of my life.

A new time

“Today is a new day
of a new time
That has started
in these new days
the joys
will be for everyone
all you do is wish for it
all our dreams
will come true
the future has already begun
Today, the party is yours
Today, the party is ours
It’s for whoever wants it
Whoever comes”.

Another jingle from the 70s that moves me a lot is “Not to be sad”, released by the National Bank. At the invitation of Lula Vieira, Director of the advertising agency who managed the account, Edson Borges created this song to be aired in the Christmas campaign. And even though I am Jewish and had never been a client of this financial institution, whenever I listen to this song, I feel the Christmas spirit penetrating my heart and leaving me shivering with emotion, immediately returning to my childhood. The Bank went bankrupt in 1995, but the brand has a recall and positive connotations among many Brazilians.

Not to be sad

“I do not want to see you cry
don’t look back
Don’t even regret what you do
I want to see love grow
But if the pain is born
you resist and smile
if you can be like that
so huge
I will believe
that Christmas exists
that no one is sad
that there is always love in the world
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas
Much love and peace for you
For you”.

Can you listen to “Tarantela” or “Vollare” without a Bella spaghetti or listen to “O Sole Mio” without enjoying a Cornetto by Gelato?

Varig’s Christmas jingle also generated excitement and inspiration, giving energy and a desire to fly even higher in the upcoming new year.
It is also worth remembering Vivo’s campaign that appropriated a beautiful song and marked the concept of “the music that became sound brand”.

And how can Neuromarketing measure the impact of a jingle among consumers?

Research indicates that the song from TIM’s latest campaign, in which people appear dancing, generated a positive impact among its consumers. According to it, by measuring heart rate frequency, skin conductance, brain indicators and eye movement tracked during the pre-test, an unprecedented potential for success of this audio communication was found through a repeated exposure study. In particular, the values of the emotion indicators generated by the commercial with the song remained constantly positive and high throughout its duration.

With the advances in Neuromarketing studies, researchers will be able to measure in greater depth the impact of jingles on people’s daily lives, proving that music is a much more powerful instrument than we imagine. It allows not only a return to the past, but it also inspires us to plan actions that make a positive difference in people’s lives, consolidating itself as a significant way to generate an affective memory in the future.

References:

1. DAMÁSIO, António. O Sentimento de Si: o Corpo, a Emoção e a Neurobiologia da Consciência. Lisboa: Publicações Europa-América, 1999.
2. Raimo Consulting: https://www.raimoconsulting.com/
3. VAILATI, André Luiz; MOURA, Camila Bergonci. Publicidade e Infância: a influência dos jingles dos anos 80 e 90. Paradoxos, v. 3, n. 2, p. 77-85, 2018.
   https://www.brainsigns.com/it/company/c2/blog/tag/research