Try This Catchy Quiz on Famous Ad Jingles

Though he's better known for pop radio classics such as "Copacabana" and "Mandy," Barry Manilow also wrote some of history's most popular advertising jingles. He's responsible for the "Stuck on Band-Aid" song, Stridex's "Give Your Face Something to Smile About" tune, and State Farm's "Like a Good Neighbor" jingle. Despite their popularity, Manilow didn't get rich on jingles — State Farm paid him just $500 for the tune.

"Bananas like the climate of the very very tropical equator / So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator!" When Chiquita first released its instructive jingle in 1944, bananas weren't all that popular in the U.S. — so the company had to teach Americans how to eat them. The lyrics also said, "When they are flecked with brown and have a golden hue / Bananas taste the best and are best for you!"

Pepsi sparked the so-called "cola wars" with its debut radio ad in 1940. Back then, Coca-Cola was being sold six ounces at a time, so Pepsi began selling its product in 12-ounce bottles. Its ads highlighted the difference, with a jingle saying, "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot / 12 full ounces, that's a lot / Twice as much for a nickel, too / Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you."

The Empire jingle first aired locally in Chicago in 1977, at which time it didn't include the "800" part of the phone number. Later, the carpet company went national and became a toll-free line, so it had to adapt the tune for its slightly longer lyrics. While much of their business is online today, Empire's ads still include the classic jingle, and even its logo shows the phone number under the company's name.

Beginning in 1974, Burger King told customers to have it their way. This classic jingle encouraged patrons to order their burgers any way they chose. Burger King continued to use the jingle until 2014, when it was swapped out for the phrase “Be Your Way.” In 2022, the jingle was updated again to “You Rule.”

“Every kiss begins with Kay” is an ad campaign first launched by Kay Jewelers in 1985. The jingle became instantly recognizable and has since been featured in every commercial for the jeweler. Today, the company boasts an impressive 98% brand-awareness rate and is considered one of the top jewelers in North America.

Starting in 1992, the Dutch company Mentos began airing a series of commercials featuring the song “Fresh Goes Better” in the U.S. The ads were cheesy, and some of the jingle was lost in translation, with nonsensical lyrics like, “It doesn’t matter what comes, fresh goes better in life.” Still, the commercials were undeniably catchy and wildly successful.

The first Chia Pets were introduced in 1981. Each “pet” is a terracotta figurine that you spread chia seeds on, water, and watch sprout. Commercials for the product began with someone singing, “Ch-ch-ch Chia!”

In the mid-’80s, Chilis debuted a commercial for their baby back ribs that ended with the line, “I love my baby, baby, baby back ribs.” Almost a decade later, the jingle evolved into a song that instantly got stuck in people’s heads. The phrase, “I want my baby back, baby back, baby back, baby back…” looped through the jingle, which ended with a deep voice saying, “Barbecue sauce.” The jingle was featured in “Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me” (1999) and was covered by *NSYNC in 2002.

Lucky Charms hit shelves in the 1960s. The “magically delicious” cereal brought something to the table that consumers hadn’t seen before in their breakfast: tiny marshmallows shaped like moons, hearts, stars, and four-leaf clovers. Since its debut, the cereal’s enduring mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, has appeared in many commercials, always running away from hungry children who are “after me Lucky Charms.”

In 1974, a Big Mac jingle from McDonald's was the catchiest song around. The jingle described the cheeseburger as "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun." The song quickly became a viral sensation, and as part of a promotion, McDonald's served free Big Macs to anyone who could recite the jingle in under four seconds.

In 1974, the Meow Mix jingle took the advertising world by storm. Composed by Tom McFaul with meowing by Linda November, the tune helped make Meow Mix the top dry cat food brand in the country by 1976. The jingle consists of cats meowing to a tune, with English lyrics shown beneath. Its unique composition helps reinforce the brand's slogan, "The only brand cats ask for by name."

The song that became one of the most popular candy jingles ever was never actually meant to be used. The ad agency working for Kit Kat had already come up with a different campaign but had to present multiple options to their clients, so they included the "Gimme a Break" theme as a throwaway option. Much to their surprise, it was a hit with test audiences, and the rest is jingle history.

In 1926, General Mills aired the first-ever commercial jingle during a radio advertisement for their cereal Wheaties. The breakfast staple was struggling at the time, so executives tried a novel strategy to promote sales, and it paid off. The jingle went, "Have you tried Wheaties? They're whole wheat with all of the bran. Won't you try Wheaties? For wheat is the best food of man."

Penned by copywriter Linda Kaplan Thaler, the Toys “R” Us theme became an indelible part of 1980s and ’90s television. In the commercials, children sang, “I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid,” while playing with different toys offered by the retailer. The commercial also featured appearances by the brand’s mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe.

Campbell’s “M’m! M’m! Good!” jingle was first broadcast on radio around 1931, later transitioning to TV commercials beginning in the 1950s. Campbell’s-sponsored programs such as “The Donna Reed Show” and “Lassie” helped propel the brand and its tagline to national renown. In 1966, Campbell’s toned down its usage of the phrase, opting to instead promote the health benefits from eating soup.

Alka-Seltzer's double-talk jingle was the result of a medical study that showed two tablets of the product would work better than one. Before this, the brand had been struggling and the instructions recommended taking one dose at a time. Then, in the 1970s, the famous jingle debuted alongside visuals of two tablets being dropped in water, and Alka-Seltzer's sales nearly doubled.

Oscar Mayer's classic 1973 ad shows a 4-year-old holding a fishing rod and a sandwich as he sings, "My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R. My bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R." This song and the "I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Weiner" jingle (for its hot dogs) helped the company stay the top-selling lunchmeat brand in the U.S.

The 1971 Coca-Cola commercial “Hilltop” featured more than 1,200 people from around the world standing atop a hill singing a song with phrases such as, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,” and, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.” The hopeful message resonated with audiences: Coca-Cola received more than 100,000 letters in support of the ad, and the song was constantly requested on radio stations across the U.S.

Commercials for the Slinky began airing in 1962, highlighting the toy’s ability to “walk” down a set of stairs with just a little push. The toy was invented by engineer Richard T. James, who perfected the design in 1945 after two years of work. Original Slinkys contained 80 feet of steel wire that coiled 98 times.

Folgers' famous jingle first debuted in 1984 and has since been adapted for all genres of music. Composed by Leslie Pearl, the tune has become one of the most recognizable jingles on TV, and appears in almost all of the company's ads. In 2014, Folgers celebrated the jingle's 30th anniversary with a contest for people to record their own versions and remixes of the ubiquitous song.