I've stumbed upon what appears to be a quirky and entirely local Christmas tradition here in my adopted state.
It's a strange marketing phenomenon known as the B.C. Clark Jeweler's jingle. This catchy, singable, and retro-cheesy advertising jingle is over 50-years old, and still going strong.
To read more about this funny little jewelry store that's been around since before statehood (1892...that's older than the original Tommy's Burger in downtown LA), check out their website.
You can download their jingle to your iPod or watch the little animated Santa tv spot that my wife remembers so fondly. She feels, as many Okies apparently feel, that it just isn't Christmas until you've heard the B.C. Clark jingle.
This family run jewelry store seems to have a pretty slick marketing/advertising department. For a 3-store chain, they've managed to develop a well rounded brand identity that would cause my old employer to shudder with delight. One of B.C. Clark's ongoing campaigns which keeps them in the forefront of the minds of brides-to-be across the state is their "Rainy (or snowy) Wedding Day - Wedding Ring Giveway."
Basically, if you buy a ring from B.C. Clark and it rains or snows more than an inch on your wedding day, they''ll cover the cost of the ring for up to $5,000.
So far this year, they've given away 24 wedding rings.
Not too shabby.
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I'm an expat Okie (born in Ponca City, 1958), and I vividly remember that jingle -- first from the radio as a kid, and later (after moving out of and back into the state a few times) on the TV in junior high and high school. I can't believe how that silly, singable ad jingle brought back Oklahoma Christmas memories. (Dare I say it even brought a brief tear to my eye?) Thanks you so much for this treat!
It's amazing how much that little jingle means to folks. I remember one year they didn't play it and the uproar it caused is legendary. It just isn't Christmas until we hear the old, familiar jingle.
The jingle now has its own domain name. And while BC Clark is "Oklahoma's oldest jeweler, since 1892" (as we can all sing by now), the jingle is only celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
As Charles pointed out a few weeks ago, the best part of the new jingle Web site is that it includes the older version, not aired in over 30 years, that has an extra line in it . It made the whole jingle about 40 seconds long, and that just doesn't fit in modern advertising limits.
I've had it on CD for over a decade because they used to sell it that way, on a disc with a bunch of generic choral Christmas music (all hymns, since newer songs are not in the public domain) for $10. I also have their "sheet music," and I always have to point out that it's wrong - the chord symbols are not what is recorded in the jingle. But it's close.
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