Quick, get me a peacock. A live trained one with colorful feathers like the one NBC has used as its network logo since 1956 when it went from black and white to color programming. And I need it now. That’s pretty much what happened at WRAL when the station made the announcement that it was […]
A live trained one with colorful feathers like the one NBC has used as its network logo since 1956 when it went from black and white to color programming.
And I need it now.
That’s pretty much what happened at WRAL when the station made the announcement that it was switching network affiliations from CBS to NBC. WRAL, owned by Capitol Broadcasting, will launch as the NBC affiliate in Raleigh on Monday, Feb., 29.
“When I first learned of the NBC choice, I had this immediate vision of a spot with a peacock and the anchors,” said Shelly Leslie, WRAL’s creative director.
“Of course, that seemed ludicrous. Where would we find one? I hear they’re mean. In a brainstorm with the WRAL creative team, we talked about the idea and I said: ‘All we need to pull this off is a live, trained peacock! How hard is THAT?’ ”
The room laughed and Jay Yovanovich, WRAL’s promotion manager, said: “Give me a day to find one!”
Yovanovich tracked one down at the nearby Sylvan Heights Bird Park.
“A wonderful lady with a British accent heard my story and asked if I would tell the story again to their marketing director,” said Yovanovich.
“Turns out, the bird park imprinted [trained] a peacock about seven months ago because in the words of Brent Lubbock, Sylvan Heights’ marketing director, “We just thought one day an NBC station may want to do something.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxpFqWhHb4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NpOyydN0XU
In just under a week, the WRAL creative team produced a multimedia campaign with their brand new mascot.
“I can’t say enough about our team,” said Leslie. “Pulling off a really creative, multi-platform campaign and executing it flawlessly in less than seven days on a stage as big as the Super Bowl is nothing short of epic.
“This team is one reason I have confidence we’re going to build a No. 1, top 25 NBC affiliate here,” she added.
Somehow, I don’t doubt that at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_5kEUy__tI
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