The Roarin’ Twenties were a happenin’ time in America. It was an era of prosperity, when society was experiencing radical changes. Many folks were able to buy cars, appliances and ready-made clothes which made their lives easier. Jazz and blues became extremely popular, impacting the American musical landscape. And by the end of the decade, jingles had begun to waft over the radio waves, reaching millions of listeners across the nation. Jingles were born out of a dynamic era and their compelling harmonies reflect that period perfectly. And they would alter the advertising world forever.
It all began with a struggling cereal brand. Introduced in 1924, the cereal was first known as “Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes” and later renamed “Wheaties”. For two years, Wheaties didn’t exactly take off. There was talk about discontinuing the cereal. Instead, a special radio campaign was created and launched.
If you’d lived in Minneapolis and turned on the radio on Christmas Eve in 1926, you would have been amongst the first people to experience something no-one else had before. A cheerful tune asking consumers to buy Wheaties by declaring it “the best breakfast food in the land”.
Never before had an advertisement been sung over the radio. This was because in 1926, there were industry regulations in place which didn’t allow companies to directly advertise their products on the radio. But, those regulations never said anything about singing to announce a product. Thus, the Wheaties ditty cleverly exploited a loophole and the jingle was born.
The Wheaties Jingle was truly a tune of its time in more ways than one. It reflected the innovative attitude of the era by pioneering a new brand of advertising and did it with 1920’s musical flair. The melody of the jingle has jazz roots because it was taken from the chorus of a popular 1919 song, “Jazz Baby”. Yet, jazz was sometimes seen as being disreputable. So, the Wheaties Jingle was sung acapella by a quartet, making it more acceptable for a broader audience and giving it a captivating simplicity which made it all the more memorable.
By 1929, the Wheaties Jingle had proven itself to be a resounding success. Of the 53,000 cases of Wheaties sold that year, more than 60% were bought in the Minneapolis area, where the jingle was regularly broadcast. The jingle began airing nationwide and sales of Wheaties skyrocketed. Other companies began to try out their own “singing commercials” and before long jingles were filling the radio waves.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
