It can if you're Alka-Seltzer.

Back in the day, market research indicated that people knew what Alka-Seltzer was for (stomach upset) but didn't know that you were supposed to take two of them.

Enter a great tactical jingle and tagline - "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is" and suddenly everyone knows how many tablets to put in the glass.  And they did it without having to tell people that they really should read the directions first.

Side note: I'm not suggesting the tagline is perfect.  It's not always desirable to have a tagline serve double duty as something kids taunt each other with on the playground when someone messes themselves.

Remember, taglines and jingles don't have to be permanent.  Alka-Seltzer brings this one back every so often - and even had a contest to update the jingle.  Not sure I think that it was much more than a curiosity, but it did get them some press for a product that's been frozen in time.

In my humble opinion, the old jingle was more valuable as it was.  It would've been a better idea to work on an alternative message that focused on the history of the tablets.  A "keeps on ticking" sort of approach - or an approach that reflected the relevancy of something so reasonable sounding in an age where people seem to be swept up with snake-oil sales pitches about magnets, crystals, and the power of positive thinking.  "Lost a limb?  Think of fluffy bunnies and all will be okay!"

And why didn't they jump on the Alka-Seltzer and Coke bandwagon? 

Hmmm... on second thought... Maybe I don't want people to wonder whether or not their stomachs will explode when they accidentally combine my medicine with a soft-drink to ease their pain...

(Though the thought of some edgy commercials shot with a hand-held cam where someone tries to debunk the urban myth that people explode after taking Alka-Seltzer - and the guy successfully proves it is safe only to have the person explode after he turns away... THAT would be awesome...)

Next week?  We'll cover the musical message you didn't even know you knew...