The eighties gave us some of the most memorable jingles. The trademark Liril tune, 'La, lalala, la, la, la'; the pulsating jingle 'Tandurusti ki raksha karta hai Lifebuoy, Lifebuoy hai jahan tandurusti hai wahan'; the iconic 'vicks ki goli lo, khich khich dur karo', and how can one miss the Rasna girl's 'I love you, Rasna'.

These catchy jingles (you didn't just read these jingles you sang them, didn't you?), together with the images of the Amul's plump little moppet, the Nirma girl who twirls in her white frilly dress into the pack of detergent, the green bikini clad girl having fun under a waterfall with a Liril soap, the chirpy Rasna Girl, remain some of the best and most enduring images of the eighties. These iconic ads catapulted brands and created a strong brand equity for them in India.

Mind you, these ads were not just loved by the audience; they encouraged the audience to buy the product. Although they are decades old, most of these brands still continue to be hugely successful. They surely have proven that old is indeed gold. But what's the secret behind their success?

Many attribute this success to consistency. The six-year-old Amul girl still continues to be the brand mascot, the delightful 'Mummy' squeal of Santoor has stayed since 1989, Nivea's packaging with the blue tin, Nirma's jingle amongst others.

It was also simple, impactful, and cleverly written copy that made these ads timeless. Take for example the 'Washing Powder Nirma' jingle which in simple, everyday language, informed the consumers about the brand name and category. Consider this: the word Nirma appears in the jingle almost 15 times. Along with this, it also educated about the benefits of using Nirma, viz. 'Doodh si safedi' and 'rangeen kapda bhi khil-khil jaaye'.

It defined the value of the product with the line, 'Thoda sa powder par jhaag dher saara' and finally, it assured the audience about its quality as a cross section of audiences Hema, Rekha, Jaya and Sushma were already using the product and it was their preferred choice.

The unforgettable simple rhyme, 'Vicks ki goli lo khich-khich dur karo' continues to be the brand message since 1982. Its no non-sense, simple to understand and relatable approach has secured its position in our memories.

Look around, and even today you'll find a lot of examples of brands that have imprinted their jingle in our heads. Cadbury's 'Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye', Paytm's 'Paytm Karo', Jio's 'Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan', Nerolac's 'Nerolac Nerolac', Siyaram's 'Coming Home to Siyaram's', Surf Excel's 'Daag Acche Hai', Kurkure's 'Thedha hai par mera hai', are some apt examples.

The secret, apart from appealing content and tune, is frequency. In the 80's when television was a luxury and there was just Prasar Bharti and Doordarshan that provided the daily dose of entertainment, the viewers has no choice but to watch these ads. No doubt, the good ads struck a chord with its audience and continue to appeal them till date. This was also mainly because their messaging transcended time and the brand was able to evolve over the period.

But today, we have so many choices, not just on TV but digital space has given us umpteen options of entertainment. This has led to people swapping channels as soon as an ad appears (unless of course it is an ad that has been able to grab the attention - latest example being the Rap song ad of Tide Ultra).

But brands also have become smart and they follow a blanket approach wherein they broadcast their ad across multi-channels and increase the frequency of its appearance. So wherever you go, these ads will follow. Sporting event is another major platform where brands take full-advantage as the audience generally doesn't swap channels during the ad break of a cricket match. The popularity of these ads is a right mix of frequency, spread and content.

Content has and will always be the king. And with jingles having the power to make plain vanilla campaigns memorable, in today's data-heavy world, frequency and spread will play a key role. Brands present across mediums with monies to frequently bombard the commercial, will be able to develop a powerful connect.