This Flashback Friday’s advertisement features Speedy, the Alka-Seltzer promotional character featured in commercials. He sings the “plop, plop, fizz, fizz” tune everyone knows by heart:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxjb2UJZ-5I]
Plenty of us may not remember Speedy’s character today. I’ll be honest: I know I’m too young for that sort of thing. But I know the jingle, I know that the plop-plop sound of two tablets being dropped in a glass means Alka-Seltzer, and I know the brand is a familiar staple in many medicine cabinets.
Successful campaign? I’d say so. And since the “Plop Plop Fizz Fizz” jingle has had several reincarnations since it debuted in 1975, we can probably assume the folks at Alka-Seltzer agree.
But some may wonder if catchy jingles like this one still have a place in marketing. Can advertisers reach everyone with one tune or is the market transitioning to an environment in which one-on-one conversations have the most effective results?
Since Alka-Seltzer recently introduced several ad campaigns in which the jingle makes a comeback, I’d say there’s room for classic jingles on TV. However, unless the tune is already a familiar favorite, there’s no room–or patience–for the endless repetition required to make that jingle work.
Year: 1974 [Date is ambiguous, but this seems to be the most common.]
Credit for Speedy: Wade Ad Agency
Credit for Jingle: Paul Margulies
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