Are Jingles the Missing Super Bowl Ad Effectiveness Asset?
The Super Bowl is undoubtedly advertising’s biggest night; it’s a moment for brands and their products to shine. Millions of people tune into the Big Game every year, not just for the players on the field and the Halftime Show but also the commercials. Over the past six years, System1 has tested every Super Bowl ad with more than 60,000 consumers to extract the most entertaining creative and the learnings that can help marketers win big with audiences.
One of the most interesting findings from our research is actually the lack of something in most Super Bowl ads: the elusive jingle.
While the world of advertising has fewer jingles now than it once did, that doesn’t mean the jingle is dead. Far from it. Established and challenger brands alike turn to sonic branding to stand out on TV, streaming, radio and other platforms.
Perhaps most famously, McDonald’s paired 5 simple notes with its ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ slogan to create the ‘ba-da-ba-ba-ba’ earworm that’s used consistently across its advertising. Insurance providers also love a jingle, with ‘Nationwide is on your side’ and ‘Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There’, originally launched in 1971.
Here’s why jingles deserve a spot on the Super Bowl stage.
Distinctive Brand Assets Maximize Creative’s Impact
First thing’s first. Why do brands need jingles?
Well, despite the incredible investment that goes into casting, producing and launching Super Bowl ads, some of them don’t make their mark. In 2025, 21% of Super Bowl viewers couldn’t recall the advertiser. No brand wants its creative to be forgotten, or worse, attributed to a competitor in the category.
This is where distinctive brand assets (DBAs) come into play.
DBAs like logos, brand colors and fonts, recurring characters and yes, jingles, help signal the brand to viewers. Most importantly, they ensure that your brand can capitalize on the predicted commercial impact of your creative. If your ad is entertaining but doesn’t clearly identify your brand, it won’t be successful at building memory structures that support long-term growth.
System1 and Effie’s forthcoming The Creative Dividend book showcases the impact that emotion and fluency (brand recognition) have on profit. Emotional campaigns on their own drive profit, but they are much more impactful when they are distinctive.
The Creative Dividend also reveals the power of sonic branding. Jingles and sonic devices (think Mastercard’s six-note tone) both fall in the top three types of DBAs for brand attribution.
When the number of jingles across Super Bowl advertising is low, this creates an opportunity for brands to use them and stand out. State Farm is one of only a handful of examples. Its 2024 ad featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito immediately opens with the familiar ‘Like a Good Neighbor’ tune, sans lyrics on this occasion. Yet because it’s consistently used across State Farm’s wider campaign, audiences recognize it.
Lucky #7
In addition to its jingle, State Farm also incorporated other DBAs in its Super Bowl ad. The first five seconds reveal the logo on Schwarzenegger’s polo, in the brand’s signature red. The logo is later repeated, this time on the side of a helicopter that Arnie is piloting. And of course, Jake from State Farm, the brand’s recurring fluent device, is present.
So, this begs the question. What’s the magic number of DBAs for maximum brand recognition?
System1 has uncovered that seven brand codes is the sweet spot. The chart below demonstrates the large leap that’s witnessed when bringing the total from six to seven. It’s a reminder to codify, codify, codify. Through your jingle, brand colors, logo, fluent devices, celebrity spokesperson (who is consistently used!), sonic devices and more.
5 Ways to Make the Most of a Jingle
Jingles are most effective when they follow these five simple rules:
Used consistently
As Orlando Wood notes in his book Lemon, people often like what they can process quickly. Consistent use of the same brand asset allows viewers, or listeners in the case of audio advertising, to easily recognize who the ad is for. And we know that recognition speeds decision making, making continued use of jingles a smart move for brands.
Memorable
It will be difficult for consumers to remember jingles that are long and complex. Instead, consider leveraging rhyming to make the song catchy and remember to keep it fairly brief. Alliteration or the use of puns can also be helpful. And don’t overlook the benefits of repetition of key words or phrases. Temu utilized this approach in its 2024 Super Bowl spot, repeating ‘ooh ooh Temu’ numerous times to ensure viewers understood who was delivering the message.
Aligned with the brand’s identity
A custom jingle can help reinforce a brand’s identity and communicate to the public what the brand stands for. Think about the lyrics carefully. Which words or phrases will make people feel happy, or, in the case of the insurance brands, safe and secure? Consider your mission, vision and values and then weave in language that clearly aligns with the brand identity as well as a melodic notes that pair well with the lyrics of your jingle.
Unique
Differentiation is key. To avoid confusion, make sure that your asset doesn’t sound like another jingle, especially one from a competitor. So, how do you make a jingle unique to you? Some organizations incorporate their brand name to make it as clear as possible and enhance brand recognition. You can also lean into distinctive sound effects that tie into your identity.
Create with Confidence®
Plenty of brands opt for big-budget soundtracks for their Super Bowl creative. It’s an effective strategy. But what if you could truly own your soundtrack, rather than borrow it? This is the power of the jingle.
Whether your jingle is a call-to-action, a rhyme or simply a catchy tune, you want it to get stuck in consumers’ heads and make your brand come easily to mind. That’s where System1 comes in.
See how your creative and jingle perform together with System1’s Test Your Ad platform. Test Your Ad puts your work in front of consumers to predict and improve its commercial impact. Get in touch today to understand the short-term sales potential and long-term brand-building potential of your advertising, and how optimizations can drive even greater effects.
Want even more insights about Super Bowl creative effectiveness? Join our webinar on Monday, February 9 to see which ads were the top performers and why, and for a meta-analysis reports on 5-years of Superbowl advertising.
