Austin loves to refer to itself as the “Live Music Capital of the World” and while I haven’t been all over the world, I have seen enough to give Austin the benefit of the doubt. I have been to plenty of functions, like sporting events and open mics, where prerecorded music is the norm and Austin has always delivered the real deal.
Another thing that Austin is known for is supporting local business. I have never lived in a place that has so many prosperous little guys. In fact some of them, like Alamo Drafthouse and Chuy’s, have started expanding into other markets and it’s a testament to both the quality of the businesses and the support that they have gotten from the local community.
So it comes as no surprise that Austin radio and television is filled with lots of local jingles that can actually make commercials fun to listen to. Here are the best Austin jingles:
Henna Chevrolet
Henna Chevrolet has been around for over 7 decades and as long as I have been here, their slogan has been “We’ll Stand by You.” I can’t drive by a Henna billboard without their catchy jingle instantly popping into my head. In case you are curious, the Austin footage in the ad is mostly from the South Congress and South First areas of South Austin.
Spec’s
Spec’s is a Houston-based company so, while not totally local, the ads are done by an Austin ad agency so I think it should still count. They are a wine, spirits and fine foods superstore so even if you don’t like alcohol, their large selection of hard to find international food is worth a look. They also have a great deli and cheese department with lots of free samples. The jingle drives some people nuts but I have always enjoyed it.
Reid’s Dry Cleaners
While putting this together I realized that these first 3 jingles were all done by the same agency (Lee Tilford) so they deserve a shout out for creating such catchy ads. Of the 3 ads, this one for Reid’s Dry Cleaners has always been my favorite. I haven’t seen it or heard it on the radio in a long time so I don’t think it’s in rotation any more, which is a shame, because it is a great jingle.
Thundercloud Subs
Thundercloud Subs is a jingle machine. They seem to put out a new one yearly and, while some are good and some are annoying, this one called “Sunny” is good enough to be a stand alone song. If I had to rank them then this would be my choice for the best Austin jingle.
