Dave Bethell on the Science of the Radio Jingle

The recent return of jingles to WLS-FM Chicago marked a turning point for both fans of radio jingles and TM Studios. After a decade, a station with one of the most famous musical signatures in radio history was embracing its iconic sound, rather than trying to prove its 2024 relevance without them. Within days, says Chief Creative Officer Dave Bethell, TM Studios had “one of the best responses for a custom package in a long time.”

In recent weeks, TM has also unveiled the first in the 2024 editions of its “12-Pack” series for medium- and small-market stations, beginning with KNDE (Candy 95) College Station, Texas. The Top 40 series will be followed by AC and Hot AC versions, as well as “some unique and unexpected formats.”

Bethell’s radio career led him to be the imaging voice of numerous UK radio stations, including Kiss, Heart, and Magic. In 2005, he began working with TM Studios for its CHR jingles, including the Kissville package. In 2019, he joined TM full time. In late 2020, Bethell, Chris “UK” Stevens, and Greg Clancy acquired TM from Cumulus/Westwood One.

With that acquisition, Bethell also inherited the jingle’s ongoing battle for relevance in the minds of radio station GMs and PDs. While he has a few less people to convince right now, this is Bethell’s case for “the inescapable science and psychology behind the effectiveness of music branding,” followed by a look at how jingles returned to WLS-FM.

In an age where digital noise clutters every corner of our lives, the power of a catchy jingle remains undiminished. Despite some perceptions of jingles as old-fashioned, cheesy, or irritating, their psychological and emotional grip on our minds is undeniable. Even if you don’t like them, jingles undeniably work, are more affordable than you realize, and perhaps are a tool you should be utilizing.

Jingles thrive on the phenomenon of “earworms” — those catchy snippets of melody that lodge themselves in our brains, refusing to leave. Scientific studies utilizing MRI scans have shown that music activates broad neural networks in the brain, involving areas responsible for emotion, memory, and even body movement. This makes music — and by extension, jingles — extremely sticky from a cognitive perspective. 

Neurological research underscores how earworms, or “involuntary musical imagery,” exploit our brain’s natural processes to enhance memory retention. Traits such as simplicity, repetition, and emotional charge make certain tunes more likely to become earworms. The infamous “Baby Shark” and the classic
“Rickroll” (the viral meme involving Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”) are prime examples of how these simple yet effective elements create lasting impressions.

Beyond their catchiness, jingles are designed to trigger memory and recall responses, and as seen under MRI scans in research, parts of the brain that connect to memory and learning are engaged when a branding jingle is played. Little is known about why this happens, although it is believed to be connected to the fact that we learn our ABCs and other parts of language set to nursery rhymes. Studies are even being carried out to understand how this effect can be used to slow down the development of dementia. What is understood is the profound impact music can have on the mind. 

In marketing, this capability is harnessed to foster brand recall and loyalty. The presence of music in advertising can significantly alter mood, invoke nostalgia, create joyful moments, and even influence listening choice. Despite the multi-generational shift in media consumption since jingles were born, music branding IDs have adapted rather than diminished. The McDonalds “I’m loving it” campaign is a great example of music branding done well in a modern way.

These little 15-second earworms continue to thrive on platforms like TikTok, where the top 10 viral videos all feature memorable “sounds” and music. Music’s role on TikTok videos confirms that Boomers, Gen Zs and Millennials all appreciate short, catchy melodies – even when they’re retro-sounding, even when we regard them as cheesy! 

The statistics and research have also proven that a brand or product with a music identity can be up to five times more likely to be recalled than with the spoken word alone. There isn’t a single radio format that wouldn’t benefit from a musical/sonic identity of some kind. For some formats in 2024, the “jingle” that works isn’t brass and big vocal groups. But I’ve branded Sports, Rhythmic Top 40, Alternative, and News/Talk with musical identities that help reinforce their brand and recall, too.

Forty years ago, radio-station jingles were expensive. A custom package would basically cost the same as a suburban house in America. Even re-singing a syndicated package for your station would be the same price as an expensive sports car! The prices haven’t changed much since then, despite inflation, thanks in part to changes in studio technology. What has changed is the affordability; jingles are now a very cost-effective way of building familiarity and recall with listeners and clients.

Over the years, one of the lessons of radio has been that successful program directors don’t just program for themselves in the quest to reach as many listeners as possible. We’ve also seen that trying to copy somebody else’s lack of branding just dilutes a station’s effectiveness, whether that was Top 40 trying to sound like rock radio in the late ’70s, or radio trying to sound like streaming services now. 

A chef needs to look beyond his personal tastes concerning certain ingredients. I’m asking you to put aside your personal biases against jingles and test their effectiveness and power: literally using the science of sound to create unforgettable, sometimes involuntary, memories and recall. 

The Ross on Radio column took a “Fresh Listen” to WLS-FM in mid-March as new PD Todd Cavanah was phasing in the new package. As a companion piece to that article, and Bethell’s thoughts on jingles overall, we also asked him about how the package took shape.

“I approached Todd when it was announced he was joining WLS, and as it turned out, he had just had a lengthy conversation with [legendary former PD] John Gehron a couple of hours earlier about the heritage of WLS, including the iconic logo. 

“Todd and I had a couple of hour-long deep dives into his vision and the music, and from there I built out the package and offered my suggestions for how to blend classic nostalgia with modern production to best suit the music and station and add energy and momentum. Todd was very hands-on through the process, which is how we always get the best result. Overall, it took around 3-4 months of writing, production, sessions, and producing and mixing.

“We’ve landed on a sound that Classic Hits stations couldn’t have before, not from us or our competitors. It’s nostalgia without being retro cheese, it’s modern without being too synthy or relying on autotuned vocals. It’s just live musicians, mixed on analog with some ’90s CHR production techniques for energy.”