When the managing director of Think Local First asked me if I could recommend someone to knock out a jingle with very little time and budget, I didn’t hesitate to put her in touch with my father-in-law, Rick Van Krugel. Not just because Rick’s my father-in-law, but because of the extreme talent that I know he has. Talent that had Rick in the same musical circles as Leonard Cohen, and the same talent that literally helped him busk his way into his first house in Vancouver…back in the 70’s.
Needless to say, the excitement was through the roof when I learned this little project was awarded to Rick because this would be the very first time I got to jam with him on a professional level. The task at hand: create a fun and memorable jingle around Think Local First’s new slogan, “Every little purchase makes a big difference—Think Local First.”
And wouldn’t you know? After just a few days from being briefed on the gig, Rick came back with a folky little jingle that took an otherwise long slogan and packed it into something that was tight, fun and catchy. So much so, that I found myself singing the jingle to myself in the shower, the car, or anywhere else that I felt I could let rip without shattering some glass windows 😉 It also inspired me to create some video animation to compliment the jingle he created so it could also be featured on Think Local First’s social channels, beyond its original intent.
In the end, Rick got to share his talent with the world again, I got to see Rick’s creativity in action with very little direction from myself, and the client was over-the-moon with the delivery of the jingle and bonus video. Along the way. we hopefully inspired the audience to think local first!