AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Why is it that some commercial jingles are quickly forgotten to time but a select few are so oddly catchy that they outlive their ad campaigns? Fifty years ago, in 1974, one food company debuted one of the most recognizable jingles of all time. This company had already become a household name in hot dogs with a sing-song earworm and was now marketing a different type of lunch meat.
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ANDY LAMBROS: (Singing) My bologna has a first name. It's O-S-C-A-R. My bologna has a second name.
JAMES KELLARIS: The song is a perfect storm of simplicity, repetitiveness and mild incongruencies that are the formula for an indelible earworm. I'm James Kellaris, professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati. I am a jingle scientist.
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ANDY LAMBROS: (Singing) ...Has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.
KELLARIS: There are several minor incongruities, things that are just a little odd, things that cause a cognitive itch. The first incongruity is called in music sprechstimme. That's a vocal technique that's sort of halfway between speaking and singing.
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ANDY LAMBROS: (Singing) My bologna has a second name. It's M-A-Y-E-R.
KELLARIS: The tone of the voice follows the contour of the melody but doesn't really hit the pitches accurately and then returns to the melody and absolutely nails the pitches for the rest of the song.
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ANDY LAMBROS: (Singing) And if you ask me why, I'll say...
KELLARIS: A second incongruity is the harmonic rhythm. There's a pattern of how the harmonies change. Measure seven, it abruptly changes, and that coincides with the punchline in the lyrics. The audience is on the edge of their seats, waiting to find out why this child loves to eat this bologna every day.
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ANDY LAMBROS: (Singing) 'Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.
KELLARIS: Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.
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ANDY LAMBROS: (As self) How's that?
KELLARIS: This jingle works marketing magic. The minor incongruities create a kind of cognitive distraction that increases message acceptance. So it lowers sales resistance through distraction.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Singing) 'Cause Oscar Mayer...
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #1: (Singing) Has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.
KELLARIS: It's burned indelibly into the brains of especially baby boomers.
(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD #2: (Singing) My bologna has a first name.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP #1: (Singing) My bologna has a first name.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: It's O-S-C-A-R.
KELLARIS: Earworms are really free airplay inside people's brains. It's a testament to its iconic status that it made its way into an episode of "The Simpsons."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")
DAN CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson, singing) My bologna has a first name. It's H-O-M-E-R.
KELLARIS: I have to confess, I'm more of mortadella kind of guy. But if there were an earworms hall of fame, it would be inducted in the first class.
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP #2: I love to eat it every day. And if you ask me why, I'll say, 'cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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