Alabama station promotes weather brand with ‘story’-driven spot

WBRC in Birmingham, Alabama, is promoting its First Alert Weather team and franchise with a spot that examines how “every storm has a story.”

That’s the line that opens the promo, which starts showing chief meteorologist Wes Wyatt driving the station’s weather vehicle while looking up toward the sky.

The view then switches to what appears to be a composited top-down exterior view of the vehicle driving along a road, zooming up toward the sky before cutting to a sequence of on-screen text in a distinct typeface set in front of a foreboding cityscape accompanying the narrator reading “the lives impacted in between.”

“Where our story begins is with your First Alert, warning you well ahead of time so the chapter in between isn’t filled with surprises.”

When the announcer reads the word “surprises,” there’s an image of what is presumably a tornado-damaged house with that word placed to appear as if a giant version of it is floating just above the second floor of the home and behind one of the damaged eaves. This style, which has become popular in promos of all kinds, is only used in this shoot, making it seem a bit out of place with the other on-screen text presentation, though it also stands out well and draws the eye in.

“The largest team, on your side, dedicated to telling the story that starts and ends with you,” the narrator says as images of the rest of the weather team appear on-screen (including Wyatt, there are seven in total featured).

“This is why we First Alert,” the announcer concludes, switching the phrase “First Alert” into a verb as a bold red background animates in. 

WBRC is owned by Gray Television and brands as WBRC Fox 6 News on air.

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