It’s Not A Christmas Jingle 2025

I love Christmas.

Definitely NOT a Grinch (though I do love that story and ALL the movies).

But Christmas does get earlier every year (picture me this year at the shops for my birthday when they were putting out the Christmas gear. In September.)

So, if you’re getting a bit tired of hearing Michael Buble (ALSO not a hater, but still…) then I’ve got just the cure.

Yep – it’s time for another round of... #NotAChristmasJingle, where I share 5 of my favourite Advertising jingles with you to break up the Christmas music.

As a child of the 80s, and with a brain possessing a weird talent for remembering the lyrics to 1000s of songs, the jingles of many an 80s and 90s TV ad take up permanent residence in my brain. 

I feel like it's my duty to share the earworms to break up the Christmas jingles. While we’re at it, we’re also going to learn what makes each of these such a powerful, memorable marketing tool – because we can learn something while we’re having fun.

And with that, let’s kick off It’s Not A Christmas Jingle for 2025.

Not A Christmas Jingle #1
Samboy Chips (1991)

Hit me. With a Samboy Chip.

Highlighting the powerful flavour of a Samboy Chip (Tomato Sauce was one of my favourite flavours), this ad featured an original rock style jingle, along with a tonne of celebrities that were big in the 80s & 90s.

Think Dermott Brereton, Red Symons, Tina Arena, Sophie Lee, Jeff Fenech and more.

What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?

This one is as much about the celebrity status as it is about the jingle itself.

The status of these people at the time was huge. And it appealed to quite a wide range of interests (music, TV and sport). If you were a kid, this ad was made for you.

The other notable thing about it, is that the jingle was different to others at the time. Many other jingles were very “sing-song” and rhyming.

This one was very rock and roll. A great way to stand out from the crowd while highlighting the key differentiator of the chip (that its flavour is so powerful it will hit you in the face.)

Not A Christmas Jingle #2
Meadow Lea (1984)

You Ought To Be Congratulated!

I don’t know who else remembers this, but in the 80s and 90s, butter was considered very, very bad for you. Margarine was huge. And so was the advertising for it.

There were lots of brands at the time, but the one I’ll always remember (because of the jingle) is Meadow Lea.

What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?

While you might only remember the final line – You Ought To Be Congratulated – this jingle is an entire song (which was hugely popular in the 80s).

It went for a whole minute. And it leaned strongly into the sentiment of families at the time, because it focussed in on how Meadow Lea made mum’s cooking second to none.

We were still very much in the era where women did most of the domestic labour in the home, and many ads around this time were aimed at women and making either domestic labour easier, or making them better mums by improving what they were doing.

This is particularly reflected in the BBQ being the only cooking dad does in the ad. And I particularly like the way the mum gives knowing look direct to the camera at the end.

It worked because it was reflective of the time. But it definitely wouldn’t be received the same way now.

Not A Christmas Jingle #3
Bushells (early 90s)

This next Not A Christmas Jingle leans heavily on Australian culture and puts most of its power into just a single line.  

Is it as good, as Bushells?

This jingle for Bushells tea made an appearance in many ads for the brand in the 80s and 90s, but the ad I’ve shared here is by far my favourite, and the one that sticks out most in my mind.

What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?

While the jingle is great for helping us remember the brand name, for me it’s the added visual spectacle that really makes it.

There is so much Australian in this that if you blink, you’ll miss one.

We’ve got Ned Kelly, and a jockey, and a tribute to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and koalas, and a blue heeler, and a pavlova, and camping, and a kangaroo, and more.

So you definitely can’t miss that Bushells tea is Australian. And the unique selling proposition is that nothing is as good as Bushells. 

If you do watch this one all the way through, let me know what your favourite Autraliana reference is!

Not A Christmas Jingle #4
Caramello Koala (1997)

This chocolate company have been making fantastic ads for decades.

And this one is no different.

We all know Caramello Koala. But do you remember the jingle?

Cadbury use several great devices in this ad (not just the jingle) and it’s another great example of real Australiana that was very popular in the 80s & 90s when it came to advertising.

What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?

The jingle is set to a memorable song that leverages the rhyming of two words – Mellow Yellow.

But it doesn’t just work because it rhymes. The premise is that the chocolate is smooth. So Caramello Koala is a smooth dude, playing guitar, singing a smooth song).

And then there’s the carton which brings the character to life, appealing directly to kids.

It shows an understanding that while the product is pitched at kids, the brand is aware that they have to get parent buy in too. A great example of targeting two audiences in one piece of marketing.

Not A Christmas Jingle #5
Cadbury Roses (1994)

I know, I know. Two chocolate ads.

But Cadbury really is great at advertising.

And this earwork of a jingle is no exception.

A great way to finish off our list for this year. Thank you very much!

What Makes This Jingle A Great Piece of Marketing?

In addition to being catchy, this jingle gives the consumer great examples of when they should use the product.

Thank you very much for the driving lesson. Thank you very much for taking us camping.

It’s not in this version, but I distinctly remember a line in another Roses ad that said “Thank you very much for being my Mrs”!

This is a tactic that Cadbury have applied to their more recent line of boxed chocolates – Favourites. These are “What to bring when you’re told not to bring a thing.” And that’s exactly what we do.

And that rounds up our Not A Christmas Jingle fun for 2025.

I hope you enjoyed playing along!

And if you loved my Not A Christmas Jingle, you might love some of my other content on Instagram or Facebook.

Hope I’ll see you there!