Pres Maxson: Suburban Jingle History

Celebrating the Suburban Construction Jingle

It’s late summer of 2014, and I’m in Nashville, Tennessee with my wife. It’s the night before a friend’s wedding, and we’re out on the town. Amid the revelry of Broadway, with its neon lights and loud country music in every establishment, something catches my eye. As we wait at a crosswalk, the guy next to me has a logo on his hat, which is worn backwards. It’s recognizable to anyone, but especially to people who have spent time in Iowa. It’s the tigerhawk.

“Hey, go Hawks,” I say.

“Oh yeah! Go Hawks,” he says back. “You two from Iowa?”

I explain that I lived there for six years, including my undergrad years at the University of Iowa.

“I’m from Davenport,” he says.

“Oh nice! Do you know Suburban Construction?” I ask.

“Are you kidding? You can’t grow up in the Quad Cities and not know Suburban,” he answers. And then, at the top of his lungs, on a street corner in Nashville, Tennessee, he sings, “SUBURBAN CONSTRUCTION IS OUR NAME! IT’S ON EVERYTHING THAT WE DO!...”

The other folks on the street corner flinch at his loudness. But a few people in his entourage join him. “QUALITY IS OUR BENCHMARK, IT’S OUR GUARANTEE TO YOUUUU!!!”

The light turns green, and now it’s a parade through the crosswalk. The number of singers (my wife and I included) have grown to the double digits. “WE’RE SO PROUD OF OUR WORKMANSHIP, WE PUT A SIGN IN YOUR FRONT LAWN!!! SUBURBAN CONSTRUCTION, THE NAME THAT GOES A STEP BEYOOOOOOND!”

We reach the other side just as the loudest moment happens, drowning out a fantastic band of Nashville professional musicians in the nearest bar.

“FOR WINDOWS, SIDING, AND DOORS!!! SUBURBAN CONSTRUCTION!”

Hugs and high fives abound. The mic has been dropped.

We say our goodbyes, and I never see them again. I don’t even know their names.

Suburban Construction is celebrating 40 years this year. As someone who has watched it grow through the years, I’m excited for them. Also as someone who’s built a career in marketing, advertising, and music, I reflect on the remarkable impact of the Suburban jingle. To mark the 40-year celebration, it’s time I dig in to learn a little more about it.

I reach out to two people: Phil Hartley of Midcoast Productions, and Suburban’s founder, Brian Girskis.

The story begins with a cold call. Hartley notices a large Suburban Construction sign on Grant Street in Bettendorf. He decides to stop in. Armed with samples of Midcoast's work, he meets with Girskis.

“I kinda liked him,” Girskis remembers. “He seemed like a little bit of a nut. I could understand him. Plus, he came with a lot of ideas.”

"Brian was very open minded,” Hartley recalls. “He had a great sense for business — and humor, I might add — and was looking for new and different ways to promote his new Quad City business."

The two hit it off almost immediately. Girskis gave the small production company a chance with a straightforward challenge, and a tongue-in-cheek warning. Hartley remembers Girskis saying, "I'll tell you what Phil, I'll give you guys a shot. But, it better work!"

It’s safe to say it did. Midcoast Productions even nailed it on the first draft. Girskis says, “I wanted something that people would get in their minds. Something that had some… stickiness. When we first heard the jingle, I really liked it. It was really good. They said they could work on it and I said, ‘Don’t mess with it. Sounds good to me.’”

According to Hartley, "Brian loved that jingle! He said it was going to be part of all the marketing he did in the future."

And it was. The jingle's impact was immediate and profound. It quickly helped Suburban Construction achieve significant name recognition throughout the Quad Cities area, becoming an earworm that cemented the company's presence in consumers' minds.

“At the start, it made us appear bigger than we were,” Girskis says. “I had neighbors that thought we bought a franchise. I said ‘No, I haven’t bought a franchise. We built this.’ It was because everybody knew the song before they knew us.”

Once they had the jingle, Midcoast Productions started developing radio campaigns. “I would buy real cheap radio spots,” Girskis says. “Rotating stuff. Inexpensive 30 second spots. Every now and then I’d hear a radio DJ sing along with the jingle. People would hear those, so then, we’d go places and the parents would have their kids sing the song back to us. It was fun.”

As the company grew, so did their marketing approach. Television commercials were created featuring "fun, comical experiences of homeowners dealing with very common, relatable maintenance problems," Hartley remembers. Each commercial incorporated the now-familiar jingle alongside 3D animation of Suburban's yard sign and logo.

"The TV commercials worked great! Visuals, plus jingle, plus logo!" Hartley notes.

As new marketing channels emerged, Midcoast and Suburban partnered to embrace them. The jingle was always a consistent thread. In the mid-90s, Midcoast designed Suburban’s website. They later developed in-home video sales presentations and interactive touchscreen programs for trade shows.

"I had great fun working with Brian,” Hartley says. “We had a blast building the Suburban name and quality service reputation."

When Girskis' son, JR, joined the company, he continued his father's innovative approach. The business expanded to include wholesale operations, but the brand identity established by that original jingle remained intact.

Today, 40 years later, "Everyone in the region knows the Suburban Construction name and the quality products and value-added services they provide," Hartley says. The company has grown from a small local business to "a major force in the home improvement industry."

The Suburban Construction jingle stands as a testament to the power of memorable marketing and the value of business relationships built on trust and creativity. As Harley concludes, "It was a joy to work for a family business who treated our team at Midcoast — and their own customers — like part of their family.”

“I don’t think we changed the jingle at all through the years,” Girskis adds. “Sounds the same. People know it, especially if you’re anywhere from the age of 25 to 90. Little kids when we introduced it, now in their 40s, really know it.”

All this got me thinking. I’m struck by one stunning fact: this jingle has had more cultural impact than most music we listen to. And I don’t think that’s a bold claim.

If you ask anyone about the soundtrack of their lives, you can probably predict what they’ll say. A pop song from their teen years. Or a song that played at their prom. Or a classic their parents love and they heard a million times growing up.

But right alongside those obvious choices are other sonic signatures that are a little less obvious: tunes like the Suburban jingle. They heard it on the radio in childhood. In their cars on the way to work. In TV commercials as they ran to the kitchen for a snack. There’s even a chance someone is hearing it in the background somewhere right now.

Lots of companies have a jingle. But how often does that little tune transcend a simple business purpose and weave its way into a culture? How often does it become something that gets sung loudly on street corners by strangers, like my experience in Nashville, Tennessee?

It’s rare. And I think Phil and Brian realize how rare. Because music, that ethereal magic that creates mood-enhancing vibrations through our hearts, is embraced by listeners under only the most perfect and personal of circumstances. For an audience to love a jingle the way the Quad Cities loves Suburban’s, the music has to be something very special.

And it’s only an added bonus that it sells some windows, siding, and doors too.

- Pres Maxson

Creative Writer, Speaker & Musician