John R Brinkley: the quack doctor who brought country music to America
You won’t realise it, but the art of the jingle massively impacts your buying habits. When brands put out jingles, they don’t expect you to hear it and immediately buy it, but it plants the idea of the product in your head. It may not be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, but it’s catchy enough to get stuck in your head. It means that when you eventually need something in that vein, you’ll go to the brand that has a jingle stuck in your head. Speaking of something being in the wrong vein, have you ever had erectile dysfunction?
We’ve all seen the adverts spark up during football at halftime or when you stay up late watching action films. It’s a very real problem that affects men everywhere. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, and there are a number of easy fixes that you can implement into your life, so it doesn’t need to get in the way of your love-making.
Of course, we live in a much different time compared to people over one hundred years ago. Our bodies were somewhat the same, and therefore, this common problem was still common; however, there wasn’t a quick fix. Who would help these poor souls? Lucky for them, John R Brinkley was on the case, offering some… unconventional… medicine to any men who were struggling.
Brinkley was a licensed doctor, but he was a licensed doctor during a period when that term didn’t mean very much. There was a drive towards the future, and that meant embracing ideas that felt outside the box. This led to great strides in technology; however, it didn’t do much for medicine, as people like Brinkley were left pushing wondrous new cures that promised the world but weren’t backed by science.
One of Brinkley’s magical cures that he would constantly push on his patients was the implantation of goat testicles into men who had problems with sexual dysfunction. He became incredibly famous as a doctor because of these cures. Some people liked him because he offered solutions to their problems; others hated him because his solutions never worked.
Additionally, if you thought the curious nature of Brinkley ended there, you’d be mistaken. Not only was he innovative when it came to the medicine he offered people, but he was also very creative in how he sold that medicine to people. He was able to convince so many people that they should try his outlandish medication because of how he sold it, as his inventive method meant that he was essentially the first salesman to write a jingle.
During a trip to California, he met Harry Chandler, who owned a radio station. During this visit, he was introduced to the power that mass communication could have, not only when it came to spreading a message but also when selling his services to people. This led to him starting his very own radio station, which he would use as a promotional tool.
This was the first time that something resembling country music was played to the masses, and people absolutely loved it. They became fans of his radio show and would tune in constantly, not just to listen to the music but also to listen to some of his medical talks. He discussed health issues and the supposed cures he could offer. It’s interesting that even in its infancy, music was being used as a promotional tool as opposed to an art form.
Just look around your house and see how effective a jingle is. There will be a lot more songs you associate with it than you’d care to admit. But don’t feel bad; this form of commercialism has existed for over 100 years.
