Pigeon Forge Wins Emmy Award Third Year in a Row

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — The Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism may need to build an extra shelf in its trophy case now that its television commercials have won an Emmy Award for the third year in a row.

An animated 30-second Pigeon Forge spot, produced by BOHAN Advertising|Marketing in Nashville, has won an Emmy from the Nashville/Midsouth Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in the commercial spot category.

The agency, which produced the tourism department´s two previous Emmy winners, believes it is the first fully animated spot promoting a tourism destination,

The spot, titled "Five-Mile Ride/Splash Country," got two Emmy nominations. It was paired with a second Pigeon Forge animated spot produced at the same time, and that combination was nominated in a category for commercial campaigns.

"These commercials are bold and different, and they were designed to address a specific marketing challenge. They quickly demonstrated that Pigeon Forge offers much more than many people—especially people who haven´t visited before—know to expect," said Leon Downey, executive director of the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism.

Both spots supported Pigeon Forge tourism in 2008, appearing in 23 markets in the Southeast, the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic region. They also appeared on the tourism department´s Web site and can be viewed at www.MyPigeonForge.com/mystery.

"These are very out-of-the-ordinary tourism spots, something totally different for the category," said BOHAN broadcast producer Deb Rhodes. "Like Pigeon Forge itself, they are original and action-packed."

The spots begin with a two-dimensional map of Pigeon Forge. As the map opens, stylized three-dimensional animations of the city´s various attractions sprout out, all staying true to Pigeon Forge´s actual geography and all based on photography shot in Pigeon Forge.

Among the components shown are a Dollywood roller coaster, skydivers in freefall, giant dinosaurs, the Old Mill, rides along the Parkway and families playing miniature golf.

BOHAN teamed with Exopolis, a Los Angeles animation studio that has done work for clients such as Universal Pictures, Disney, Nickelodeon and The Coca-Cola Company, for the Pigeon Forge spots.

The Nashville/Midsouth region of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences covers Tennessee, North Carolina (except the Asheville market) and the Huntsville, Ala., market.

Geneva Brignolo, executive director of the Nashville/Midsouth chapter, said Emmy Awards are "universally recognized as television´s highest honor."

(Writer Adkinson enjoys TV commercials and helps Pigeon Forge promote tourism.)