To launch HLN’s new five-part series, “Inside with Chris Cuomo,” CNN Creative Marketing turned to longtime, trusted collaborator 2C Creative (“2C”) for an extensive, 360-degree promo campaign capable of visually expressing the show’s powerful premise… that some of the biggest challenges facing society are hiding in plain sight, often right beneath our noses. “Inside with Chris Cuomo” shines a light on the shocking and sometimes heartbreaking stories affecting real people, in real towns and cities across America.
“For us, it was important to collaborate with a team we knew we could rely on in terms of creativity, quality and speed, and 2C brought that to the table,” said Dan Brown, Senior Director, Production/Creative Director for CNN Creative Marketing. “HLN Original Series is a relatively new franchise within the network, helping to broaden HLN's definition of news and information about the stories that hit home in America. ‘Inside with Chris Cuomo’ was another important step in further defining HLN Original Series, and we were looking for work that would be both visually compelling and appropriate for the subject matter.”
The collaborative effort began with a review of several internal CNN pitches, to which 2C added and augmented. The winning concept, an idea contributed by the creative agency, involved using a “flicker” technique, an A/B editorial approach to contrasting the pristine and idealistic with the darker and more desperate, all in the same place and with each flicker effect revealing another hidden hardship.
Facing an ambitious production timeline, the 2C and CNN teams knew the focus of the shoot was extremely important. They needed to move fast and smart, getting as much of the flicker effect through camera work as possible to reduce the need for an extensive post effort. Accordingly, the A and B scenes were effectively shot side by side in the same locations, ensuring they would line up in edit.
In addition to this conceptual launch spot, the “Inside with Chris Cuomo” campaign featured custom key art, in which the design further reflects the show’s contrasting worlds…one side illustrating the ideal while the other reveals the desperation. There was also a clip-based launch spot reinforcing the theme and flicker effect, as well as five episodic promos and a graphic toolkit.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with the CNN Creative Marketing team on high-profile projects like this,” said 2C Creative Director Ben Frank. “It’s even more gratifying when doing our job helps tell an important story about the societal ills hiding in plain sight.”
Among the previous 2C collaborations with CNN Creative Marketing are the PromaxBDA Award winning season launch and episodic campaigns for “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” and the network’s PromaxBDA Award winning 2016 election package. This latest effort marked 2C’s first opportunity to shoot a custom spot with CNN talent.
