Guide Entry 10.01.04

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

I'd Like to Teach the World to Buy: Advertising Jingles in America, by Jennie A. Kerney

Guide Entry to 10.01.04:

We can all hum them, and sometimes we can even remember all the words. However trivial jingles may be, they are successful at getting us to remember a product and even to buy the product. In a world where consumers are bombarded with which soft drink is "in" and the correct fast food to eat, the jingle is often the most memorable part of the commercial and the part most likely to sway consumers.

This unit is designed to help students become aware of how much they are influenced by a commercial with a catchy jingle. They will learn the history of jingles and discover how certain jingles can remain in the brain long after the commercial has been aired. They will read the history of one of the most famous jingles ever written. Students will also have the opportunity to design a product, create a jingle and "pitch" their product to the class. They will be rated for both the visual (the actual product invented) and the aural (the jingle) quality of their commercial.

When this unit has been completed, I expect my students to understand the important role that jingles play in advertising, what making a commercial and jingle involves, and what the future of the advertising jingle might be.

(Recommended for Music and Social Studies, grades 6-8)

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