Iconic Jingle helps Nationwide land national marketing honor

Iconic Jingle helps Nationwide land national marketing honor

TikTok viral campaign earns Nationwide a spot on Fast Company's "Brands that Matter" Heritage Brand award list

by Jarrett Dunbar

Fast-company

An unforgettable rendition of the Nationwide Is On Your Side jingle and the TikTok contest supporting American high school choirsthat followed gained national attention in 2023. That social media campaign is one reason the brand is receiving recognition from one of the nation's most respected publications.

Fast Company has named Nationwide as one of its "Brands that Matter." The magazine presents the honor to companies that stand out for their ability to resonate with their customers and transcend mere social engagement to establish genuine bonds with them.

Nationwide earned Fast Company's Heritage Brands award, which recognizes "iconic legacy brands that captivate consumers by celebrating tradition while embracing innovation and have an established authenticity, often over generations."

"It is an honor to be named among Fast Company's 2024 Brands that Matter honorees," Ramon Jones, Nationwide, Chief Marketing Officer. "This recognition speaks to the strength of the Nationwide brand and its ability to resonate with people, businesses and communities in an authentic way."

Using music to connect
For more than a decade, Nationwide's marketing team has been using music-based campaigns to keep the nearly 100-year-old brand relevant and relatable to customers of all generations. Partnering with musicians like Leslie Odom, Jr., Rachel Platten, Jana Kramer, Brad Paisley, H.E.R., and Jill Scott connects Nationwide with a wide range of Americans from all walks of life.

"Our jingle is perhaps our most valuable marketing asset," says Jones. "It's iconic, well-liked and well-known. Partnering with musicians from different genres has enabled us to continue to reach a younger demographic that normally wouldn't connect emotionally with an insurance and financial services company."

Jingle contest goes viral
In September 2023, a video featuring a remarkably talented 5-year-old singing the Nationwide jingle went viral on TikTok. Zaya Campbell's unique and adorable rendition had been recorded years earlier, but the TikTok algorithm suddenly propelled it into the spotlight, inspiring users to lip-sync along. The brand saw the virality of the video as an opportunity for social good.

The insurance and financial services company worked with Zaya on a real time response video of her own, with a subtle, almost "meta" nod to the time that's passed since the recording of the original video. Through this creative lens, Nationwide launched the Nationwide Jingle Challenge, a contest for high school music groups. Nationwide invited high schoolers to sing their own versions of the jingle for a chance to win funding for their school music program.

Dozens of high school choirs submitted videos,with five receiving a $5,000 contribution from Nationwide.

Making a greater impact
The Jingle Challenge is just one of many programs designed to positively impact the lives of others.

"At the heart of Nationwide's mission and vision is understanding the needs of our customers, the risks they face, and helping them manage those risks," says Jones. "We exist to protect people, businesses, and futures with extraordinary care like no other brand can. And as we head toward our centennial in 2026, we'll continue to adapt and innovate to keep this promise."

These collective actions create a strong, giving culture, as evidenced by Nationwide associates who made $7.3 million in contributions to nonprofit organizations and logged more than 70,000 hours of volunteer time in 2023.

The original Zaya content generated more than 500 million video views. Videos using #NationwideChallengeContent received 6.5 million views with contest entry videos being viewed more than 5.6 million times.

For more information about Fast Company's "Brands that Matter" award, visit https://www.fastcompany.com/91235969/heritage-brands-that-matter-2024.

More information about Nationwide's philanthropic endeavors can be found at https://www.nationwide.com/personal/about-us/giving/.

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