OUR GS Jingle Competition Closes January 29

Jamaicans are reminded that entries for the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) Guaranteed Standards (GS) Jingle Competition will close on January 29.

The Guaranteed Standards were developed by the OUR to ensure that the two major utility companies, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company and the National Water Commission (NWC) are held accountable to high-quality service standards and provide the prescribed utility services.

Data from several national customer service satisfaction surveys done by the OUR indicate that awareness of the Guaranteed Standards by residential and business customers remains limited.

Senior Legal Counsel and Judge in the Guaranteed Standards Jingle competition, Wayne McGregor, said customers have expressed their limited knowledge on the service standards for both JPS and NWC.

“So, in order to increase awareness, the OUR has embarked on this Guaranteed Standards jingle competition. Persons entering must incorporate lyrics from the JPS and NWC Guaranteed Standards. It is expected that the jingle will stand the test of time and will not be subject to trend or fad,” Mr. McGregor said.

In an interview with JIS News, he said entries must be no longer than a minute and the jingle can be in either Standard English, Patois or a blend of both.

“Both can be used, just as long as the message is clear and can connect across all demographics. The jingle is also expected to be versatile, so it can be shortened and used across a wide range of media, such as online. The jingle must also be appropriate and should resonate with the OUR’s audiences, incorporating relevant elements, such as lyrics, melody and rhythm,” Mr. McGregor added.

Interested persons and students have the opportunity of entering two categories, with one submission per entrant.

The first category is open to all Jamaicans 20 years and over. The second category is for students between 12 and 19 years old who are registered in secondary schools or are members of music clubs. Entry is free for both categories.

Persons entering the competition can win a share of almost one million dollars in cash and prizes. In categories one and two, first place will receive $250,000. The second-place cash prize is $100,000 and the teacher will receive $75,000.

Meanwhile, entrants are also being reminded to compose the jingles with the OUR’s target audience in mind.

“Think of stakeholders, including consumers, utility providers and academia that you can identify. The jingle also must include original lyrics and melody. So, basically, no samples from people’s material, because there are going to be intellectual property issues that may flow from that. Also, entrants must incorporate the name Office of Utilities Regulation and OUR in their lyrics,” Mr. McGregor said.

Entries must include the jingle in the MP3 file format, a copy of the lyrics and the completed entry form with entrants’ social media handles. These should be sent to gsjingle@gmail.com. Persons have until 11:59 p.m. on the date of the deadline to submit entries.

For entry forms, access to the Guaranteed Standards, full list of rules governing the OUR GS Jingle Competition and other resources, persons can visit the OUR’s website at our.org.jm.