When selling a product or service, it is often helpful to have a catchy commercial jingle that can leave a lasting imprint on anyone's mind.

This is true when looking at the local companies around State College that must appeal to a large and diversified audience on a daily basis.

The key, said Norm Brown, general manager of the Student Bookstore downtown, 330 E. College Ave., is to create a jingle that can resonate among audiences for years. Much like the bookstore's own theme song, "The Big Blue on the Corner." "Every year we talk about changing the ad, because it's been about eight years since we came up with this one, and we thought it was getting old," Brown said.

But while the ad has been around for awhile, Brown says there is no doubting the appeal that it has received around town. "When I first heard the jingle, it sounded like a Disney World song, but it has really taken off since then," Brown said. "I visited an elementary school and all the kids there sang the jingle. The Blue Band has even learned how to play it, and when they play outside the store during football weekends, they'll perform the song."

Some companies around town, such as Stocker Chevrolet, 701 Benner Pike, find it helpful to use a jingle that has been passed down from previous generations in a family business.

"The jingle that we're currently using is a throw back to 15 years ago when Gene's [Stocker] dad was in the business," said Dale Miller, marketing director at Stocker. Miller said he believes the slogan has more meaning now.

"Gene thought it was a good time to run it again because he has been around for a while now," Miller said.

Brent Wright, president of WrightCo Technologies in Ebensburg, decided to base his jingle, "The Fast Track to the Future," on the kind of service that his company provides. "We were dealing in high-tech future communications and securities, and we wanted to talk about our program of short-term training with long-term benefits," Wright said.

Many companies have heard stories about their jingles from the public.

"The Stocker jingle is definitely one you remember," said Jeff Lane (senior-mechanical and nuclear engineering). "I think the tone of the song and the inflection at the end are what really stick out."

Lane said Stocker would be the first place that he would think of for buying a car because of the jingle.

The situation that Lane described is what Miller and other businesses try to accomplish through the commercials.

"Advertising is about trying to create awareness, and you do it by something catching on; if you can't do that, there's not much of point to it," Miller said.