Love It or Hate It, Cardinals "Six is a Serious Number" Promo is a Serious Ear Worm

Jul 28, 2009 at 1:13 pm

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Urban Dictionary defines an ear worm as "any song that is so catchy, and at the same time extremely annoying, that it feels like a worm has crawled into your ear and eaten the intelligent parts of your brain so that you hum the song all day long, no matter how much you hate it."

I tend to think of this definition several times a day, especially when listening to or watching a Cardinals game. Why? Because try as I might, I just can't get that song "Six Is a Serious Number" out of of my head.

If somehow you have no idea what I'm talking about, the song is part of a Mobil gas station promotion wherein if the Cardinals score six or more runs everyone gets 25 cent fountain drinks or coffee the next day at the company's On the Run convenience stores.

Mobil seems to run the advertisement about 100 times per game (though perhaps it just feels that way). It also receives frequent plugs from Cardinals broadcasters Mike Shannon and John Rooney.

Yes, the song (a faux rap obviously modeled after SNL's incredibly popular "Dick in a Box" gag) is certainly catchy -- infectious even. But does "Six Is a Serious Number" qualify as one of the great sports-marketing promos of all time? That's what blogger J. Carnage over at insidestl.com seems to suggest.

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