Yashraj Mukhate: The best jingle is when audience don't realise that it is an ad
Yashraj Mukhate is probably best known for the ‘Rasode Mein Kaun Tha’ meme fest. What is not very well-known is that Mukhate started his career composing jingles for brands and corporations. In a conversation with Storyboard18, Mukhate spoke about the filters in brand endorsements, the use of musicians by brands, and a lot more.
When the world was grappling with Covid–19, the mashup of ‘Rasode mein kaun tha’ sparked a meme fest—that featured a clip from the television show Saath Nibhana Saathiya—and left the country in splits. Brands like Netflix India and Zomato capitalised on that.
A year later, a mashup of ‘Twada Kutta Tommy, Sadda Kutta Kutta’—uttered by actor, model and singer Shehnaaz Gill during Big Boss 13—too saw many celebrities shake their legs to it.
In June, PepsiCo’s Uncle Chipps recreated its iconic jingle ‘Bole mere lips…I love Uncle Chipps’, amassing a viewership of 168K within an hour of its release on social media.
The man behind all of this – Internet sensation Yashraj Mukhate, music producer and composer. Storyboard18 connected with him as he took us through his experience of working with brands; what works and what does not.
Edited excerpts.
You created a musical rendition on Uncle Chipps’ famous jingle in collaboration with PepsiCo. What was the brief given to you?
When PepsiCo came to me with the idea to recreate the Uncle Chipps jingle which I had heard when I was very young, it gave me a nostalgic value. The one thing I had in mind was that I did not want to use the same tune which was used in the jingle years ago.
My initial goal was to make something which will be fresh using the same words but the tune, approach and jingle should be different. I suggested to them that I make an original jingle and then land the hook on ‘Bole mere lips … I love Uncle Chipps.’
I removed some lines before the hook and I got a lyric writer named Alok Shrivastav, who is my friend. He composed the lyrics. I made a new tune around it and recomposed ‘Bole mere lips … I love Uncle Chipps’ part.
What did you keep in mind while creating the rendition? How long does it take you to put it together?
It depends on multiple factors. In the case of Uncle Chipps, I already had the hook. I knew I had to make something before the hook line ‘Bole mere lips … I love Uncle Chipps’ and I just have to arrive at that line.
When I know where I have to land it, it is easier to make something around it. In other cases where I worked for the other brands, there was no hook, and I had to make it. In that case, it takes a little more time because I have to come up with something that is not already there.
Within a week, I should be able to complete the entire jingle along with the mixing and technical recording.
You started your career by creating jingles for brands and for corporations. What was your experience of working with brand managers?
Initially, the only problem was that there are many constraints when it comes to brands. Some brands are very strict with the kind of approach they want to have with music, the music style, the words or what they want to convey.
As a creative person, I found it very difficult to make something in those very narrow constraints. Over a period, I realised that, it is a skill—which I have developed now—that within the constraints too, I am able to make something which will appeal to the regular audience. In such situations, I have to find a way to make a jingle catchy, attractive, upbeat but not going too far from the brand image and being able to deliver something around it.
The best jingle is when the audience listens to it and they don’t realise that it is an ad. But, it depends from brand to brand.
For example, when I worked with PepsiCo, they gave me the liberty to explore newer ideas. Eventually, the content and jingle too turns out to be really great.
Recently, I did a jingle for the global brand American Tourister. Their brief was to make a jingle around crossing the boundaries. I had to write a completely original song where if you listen to it without lyrics, you should feel like you are liberated. This was their idea.
They had rejected two of my lyrical drafts and a musical draft too because they wanted specific tones and specific feelings. It took a while but the song turned out to be great.
Has it changed now? Has your approach changed now?
Now, I think my craft has become a little sharper. Personally, I think, for any artist, the problem happens when his or her craft is not completely sharpened. Now, the challenges are more and I tend to enjoy it better. I find it is like a mathematical problem I have to solve and come to a point where the brand is also happy, the content and the jingle is liked by me and the people are also going to listen to it and like it.
Sometimes, it is just that I have to convince them on something that ‘I have made this and this will definitely work. Please trust me and let’s just go with it.” Nine out of ten times, it has worked when I have been convinced.
I have worked previously with PepsiCo on Pepsi. They are very good with giving liberty and giving feedback. The feedback they give is not like “This is not working. Let’s change it completely.” They are like “These are the things we like.” The feedback really matters because that helps me with better direction and (helps me) think around newer ideas within the given boundaries.
I have worked with Cadbury’s too and they too are open to newer ideas. Their primary consumers are also similar to my primary content consumer base. When the customers of the brand and my audiences are in the same circle, it becomes easier for them to understand what will work and what will not work.
Since you recreate dialogues and songs from shows and movies, are there legal procedures to be followed? Have you run into any legal trouble for failing to seek prior permission?
Thankfully, not yet. Initially, when I had a very small audience, there weren’t many people who watched my videos. Now, I have an advisor and I make sure that there is no legal problem and there is no copyright problem with any of my videos. Before I make anything, and if it is a video from any television show or a television commercial, I make sure to ask for permission and usually, they are very happy to grant it.
When brands approach you for endorsements, what are your filters?
My filters are only that they should give me full liberty. Mostly, they have filters and I don’t. My initial goal is to make people understand that it is not branded content, and give them the experience of organic content.
My initial request to the brands is to permit me to make something that will feel like my regular videos. Because, that is how people will engage with the content. The more they engage, the algorithm will push it to more people and that is how it will be viewed.
Do you think brands use musicians enough to create the right noise? What are the unexplored opportunities?
People have been making jingles for a very long time on television and radio. But, when it comes to social media, there are very few people who collaborate with brands to make music around their products.
Usually, on Instagram and YouTube, it is mostly comedy content, or people who do vlogging or makeup artists and dancers. These are the four main categories where brands invest money.
When it comes to television jingles, brands have specific rules because there has been a legacy of people making jingles over the years. Sometimes, brands use those same strategies on social media while delivering a brief which I immediately understand. According to me, those same strategies don’t usually work on social media.
I am also learning what are the things that will work when it comes to proper jingle making. When it comes to dialogue mashups, it is very clear that it is a meme content and it is a short format, comedy plus music content.
Growing up, which all jingles attracted you? And why? Which is your all-time favourite one?
There are two very good jingles that are still there in my playlist. The Vodafone jingle which is “Every day I want to fly, stay by my side. Every day I want to dream, stay by my side. Every morning, I wish I could just play. Wish the mornings which would stay.” They had this little pug in the ad.
There was another Vodafone ad which was made by New Zealand songwriter Mikey McCleary. The song was like, “I guess my life is an open book. Anyone can take a look. Feelings here to hide this is just me.”
Then there was Dish TV’s jingle composed by music director Amit Trivedi which had actor Shah Rukh Khan in the ad.
