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PrintTulsans win big for fishy jingle
Rachael Cabrales and her son, Richie, earn national recognition for their fishy jingle.
Initially, it was just a fun way for Rachael Cabrales to bond with her 4-year-old son, Richie. She was searching online for contests they could enter together and came across the Mermaid Jingle for the Feeding America national competition, a partnership between Chicken of the Sea International and Feeding America.
To qualify, she would have to develop a 30- to 90-second jingle and video incorporating Chicken of the Sea’s original jingle lyrics and a new verse focusing on themes such as health, convenience, quality of life and dietary requirements.
The result is a video of Richie standing in front of a fish-decorated shower curtain in the Cabrales’ Broken Arrow home singing, “When your tummy’s hungry, hungry as can be, what you need is Chicken of the Sea.”
Rachael says devising the jingle came fairly easily and filming required only a few takes, as Richie likes to sing and is a natural ham. She then submitted the entry and didn’t think much of it.
That is, until the votes starting pouring in.
Cabrales’ video was named one of 36 finalists and was entered into a three-week public voting period. To attract attention to the video, Cabrales first contacted friends and family. She then called the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, which would receive $100,000 worth of Chicken of the Sea seafood if Cabrales won. Word began to spread, and the video was passed from Oklahoma to California and even to the United Kingdom, where Cabrales has friends.
All in all, Cabrales received nearly 85,000 of almost 230,000 votes cast.
Soon, “The Mermaid” (Chicken of the Sea’s mascot) called notifying her that she and Richie had won.
Cabrales, who was once homeless, says she knows what it is like to be hungry. So although her prize includes a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood with celebrity-style treatment, she is most excited about the large amount of food her win will provide for the Food Bank.
“That will feed a lot of hungry people,” she says. In fact, the donation will result in about 35,000 pounds of food, or approximately 70,000 meals.
Sara Waggoner, executive director of the Community Food Bank, says she is pleased that the community rallied behind Cabrales.
“It’s well known around here that our food donations are down,” she says. “We are so grateful that we’ll be able to offer those in need such a high-quality source of protein at a time when requests for food are at a 10-year high.”
Click here to view the winning video on Chicken of the Sea's Jingle Jam's Web site.
