Being an adult—It’s kind of the pits some days. The mailbox is rarely fun to open (bills or spam), the end of the month means bills are due, weekend outings include grocery shopping instead of sleepovers—you get the idea. We are all treading water through our responsibilities or have gone belly up and are just riding the wave. 

Most days, advertisements can feel like another layer of adulting that I don’t want to go through. I’m no longer a kid feverishly watching ads for the latest Nintendo game or outdoor toy. (Do you remember the Pogo Bal?)

I’m now consuming ads for things I don’t really want to spend my hard earned money on but am required to own—toilet paper, medicine, and dish soap. 

So how do marketing teams reach jaded folks like me? I think the key lies in nostalgia. The here and now feels overwhelming, but the wistful affection I have for my childhood can brighten my day. I recently started playing Nintendo Switch. I’m playing the old games from the 90s, and the sights and sounds of some of the levels that I hadn’t thought of in years are bringing me so much joy upon our reunion. Donkey Kong County turned 30 years old last year. A 30 year old game with outdated graphics, now irrelevant in most of my social circles, and something I would gladly spend money on for the memories it evokes.  

Now, I understand Donkey Kong, by nature, is more fun than toilet paper. But, here me out. Another way to my heart—a jingle. ESPECIALLY one from my childhood. I drink my coffee black, which means I’m destined to be very picky about the coffee I consume. My parents drink instant coffee, which breaks my heart. BUT, when my mom recently visited, she brought Folgers instant coffee, and as I saw her pull it out of her bag my internal monologue began:  https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ba2A3Wxfc/

If I was to buy instant coffee for my mom’s next trip, I could find some joy in humming that jingle as I strolled down the aisle with my purchase. 

The last time my husband and I were sick with a cold, I bought us ricola cough drops. As I pulled the cough drops out of the grocery bag, I proudly sang the mnemonic for him. You would have thought I was gifting a child a toy instead of giving an adult cough drops. 

I was recently on a call with Sonixphere, an award winning music production company who has written mnemonics, jingles, and original music for countless brands. I asked their team why jingles are not as prevalent now as they used to. They explained that the industry had become so inundated with jingles that they essentially became an old hat. People had become kind of bored with them and were looking for something new. I can’t explain why my parents’ generation made that decision, ( I was just a kid enjoying all of the jingles) but now that I’m in the purchasing power generation of adulthood, I want the jingles back. The small joys, the familiar jingle that almost causes me to order ribs (even though I don’t eat ribs). 

Marketing teams, hear my cry and help me make spending money fun again.