Several months ago, we teased a new broadcast project Element began working on with our largest client, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Dubbed “The Brilliant Season,” it’s Cherokee’s first-ever animated TV and video content, and it helps to usher in the more formal invitation Cherokee is making to all: If you don’t know or haven’t been, Cherokee is the ideal fall leaf watching and color hunting capital of Western North Carolina. You won’t find a more brilliant (hence, the name of our spot) fall color display, or a more affordable overnight destination as you tour the Great Smokies or Blue Ridge Mountains.
The product of many months of hard work and collaboration between Element Advertising, CHRLX (a highly regarded animation house out of New York, NY), and broadcast production house Milepost 355, “The Brilliant Season” is currently running as a 60-second and 30-second cut in feeder markets important to Cherokee.
Within the animated spot, we see a lone, fall-colored leaf drift past a hiker trekking through the mountains near Cherokee, North Carolina. The copy, voiced by native Cherokee actor Mike Crowe, offers that, “In Cherokee, each fall, what’s ancient becomes new again, as nature conducts the symphony of the season.” We see our hiker tracing the same footsteps as an ancient Cherokee hunter, bringing the two eras together. As the eras collide, we hear the forest all around the two hunters seem to come to life, with the sounds of nature forming a symphony of sorts. Now, color hunter and ancient hunter trek to return this lone leaf to its source, placing it at the base of a great tree. As they do, the entire forest begins to transform into its brilliant annual display.
It’s an effort Element and our client are quite proud of, but as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Let us know what you think, and what your plans are for fall leaf watching. If you need a suggestion, we know a lovely place to visit.