HLN’s crime shows are intensely captivating stories, centered around discovery. With each narrative, viewers dig deeper and play detective, tracking clues and forensic evidence. HLN wanted the spots to prompt the same entertaining behavior, leading CNN Creative Marketing’s Vice President & Group Creative Director Whit Friese and his team to leave a trail of evidence within the spot – bullets, a VHS tape, cigarette butts and intriguing images.
Airing on a network that people typically turn on and leave on, another goal for the campaign was to have it be a clutter-buster and disruptor, holding the viewer's attention.
Friese had the idea to accomplish this with sound and hired Syn to complete the creative team with sound design. Eerie snippets of 911 calls and interrogations, clinks of metal bullets dropping, crunching footsteps across gravel and similar audible devices prompt one to stop and pay attention, but chiefly shape the narrative.
