Owners who donate their vehicles are able to get an IRS write-off-though typically for only a percentage of the current value-if they declare it a charitable donation. Kars4Kids began in 1995 as a way to capitalize on the trend of automotive owners donating their unwanted cars in exchange for a tax deduction. While the purpose is not expressly to annoy you, the fact that the song is irritating is what makes it memorable.
The 501(c) nonprofit organization based in Lakewood, New Jersey, spends up to $17 million annually making sure this earwig of a commercial is played across the country. Since 1999, an untold number of Americans have found themselves reduced to mewling heaps of distress following exposure to the Kars4Kids jingle. And its producers wouldn't have it any other way. When it's finally worked its way out of your brain and you've started to forget, it reappears. But the song’s repetitive melody sticks to your brain like sap. The two begin to sing in unison:ġ-877-Kars-4-Kids, K-A-R-S Kaaaaars for Kiiiids…Donate Your Car Today! The child begins to warble:ġ-877-Kars-4-Kids, K-A-R-S Kars for Kids, 1-EIGHT-SEVEN-SEVEN-Kars-4-Kids, Donate Your Car Today …Īn adult breaks in to repeat the lyrics. Your grip on the steering wheel gets tighter. In addition to the standard pleas to use a specific laundry detergent or contemplate debt consolidation, the voice of a preadolescent, out-of-tune child materializes.
Driving in your vehicle, a commercial break comes on. It can happen suddenly and without warning.