A jingle is a TV or radio ads slogan set to a (hopefully) memorable melody. Jingles are written explicitly about a product -- they can be original works designed to describe a product or service, or to help consumers remember information about a product. As long as the slogan is instantly catchy -- and hard to forget -- there's almost no limit to what advertisers can say in a jingle. It can be a slogan, a phone number, a radio or TV station's call letters, a business's name or even the benefits of a certain product. In this article, we'll take a look at this unique advertising technique to find out how commercial jingles worm their way into our psyches.

Jingles and their lyrics have vaulted countless companies and products to worldwide fame, because they’re 400 times more effective than a commercial that’s simply spoken. While you’re innocently tapping your foot to a jingle and its lyrics, it’s communicating a message disguised in a melody that you’ll remember, and it’s giving life and personality to products normally regarded as ordinary, boring household items. Suddenly, these products are transformed into amazing inventions that you desperately and immediately want. And, much like nursery rhymes, remembering a product is easier when it’s associated with a catchy tune and simple, memorable lyrics. Amazingly, this technique can help us remember things for more than 20 years.

Another reason jingles and their lyrics are so hard to get out of your head is because they contain “earworms.” No, don’t worry—it’s nothing your doctor has to treat. They’re brief sections of music and lyrics that won’t leave your brain alone. And when music and lyrics forge a strong emotional bond with a listener, they’re hard to forget.