Remember the ’80s? When brands like Nike and Lacoste introduced the brilliant idea (for them) of making customers pay to display their logos? Ever since, human branding has seen extremes like tattooed logos on body parts, and brand icons shaved onto heads. Now, with the current wildfire-like spread of mobile/cell phones, expect audio to be added to people’s branding expressions.

Enter JINGLE CASTING. New generation phones sport features like ‘16-voice Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) synthesizers’, meaning, in plain English, that jingles and ring tones are reproduced with previously unattain-able sound quality. So what’s to stop corporations and organizations from persuading consumers to download their company jingles, commercials or political cries for change?

Using cell phones to broadcast commercials, tunes and jingles could well be the next big thing in the multi-billion euro ring tone industry. TRENDWATCHING.COM can’t wait to hear “Always Coca-Cola!” being JINGLE CAST from a million hand-helds, handies, cell-phones, mobiles, and keitais ;-) >> Email this trend to a friend.

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JUNE 2003 | What's to stop corporations, organizations and political parties from enticing consumers to download their jingles, commercials or political cries for change, or using alternative broadcasting channels to spread their corporate tunes and jingles?

Nothing, as Domino's Pizza showed by introducing electrical delivery scooters sporting corporate-jingle claxons (source: Volkskrant). Gimmicky? Yes. But don't underestimate the power of corporate jingles: just hearing the first few notes of 'Always Coca-Cola' may entice thirsty consumers around the world to head for the vending machine or fridge. So encountering a beeping Domino's scooter around dinner time may do wonders for your appetite AND for Domino's marketing manager entrusted with meeting the sales targets for the 'Pepperoni' or 'Vegi Feast'!

In fact, getting consumers to recognize your corporate jingle, and then using the many new broadcasting channels to literally 'be heard' when it counts, should become an integral part of marketing strategies. TRENDWATCHING.COM is waiting for the first beverage giant to persuade a leading DJ (Tiësto?) to turn a corporate jingle into a global clubbing hit. Subliminal marketing that would have revelers mobbing the bar! >> Email this trend to a friend.

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NOVEMBER 2003 | Earlier this year, we highlighted Domino Pizza's scooters honking to a corporate tune, and wondered why Coca Cola hadn't jumped on board of corporate jingle casting. Well, seems like the Coke folks in Japan got the message: the Wall Street Journal reported that Coca-Cola promotes its vending machines in Japan with wireless text offers (sms/mail), offering customers a free ringtone download of a Coke jingle with the purchase of a can of Coke from a vending machine. Sales were boosted by 50 percent among receivers of the message. Not bad! It's part of a wider (and true and tested) partnership between Coca Cola Japan, NTT DoCoMo and Itochu Corp., who jointly offer the 'Cmode' service.

In a nation in love with vending machines, Coke finds a winner in downloading ring tones

This prepaid membership-based consumer service links i-mode mobile phones to Cmode/Coca Cola terminal vending machines with built-in computer, display, speaker and printer. In addition to buying drinks with an i-mode mobile phone, subscribers can also make cashless purchases of screensavers, ringing melodies, and other i-mode content. Furthermore, they can print out hard copies of coupons and other items. The good news: this joint venture apparently has no plans to launch the service outside Japan. Wireless carriers (and vending machine enthusiasts) around the world, go for it!