Katie Couric promos more of the same

Stephen Warley August 21st, 2006

This morning Broadcasting and Cable ran a quick tidbit about some of CBS News’ marketing efforts for the debut of Ms. Couric. To thumb its nose at NBC News, CBS has bought ad space in the Rockefeller Center subway station, among other Manhattan hotspots. That tactic seems so tired. Even the promos CBS has been running touting Katie seem heavy on typical fluffy TV news promises, but lite on what is going to make the CBS Evening News really different beyond Katie. LR applauds all the neat web features that will be launched with the new broadcast. However, they are all focused on “pushing out” content, rather than collecting information from consumers. If the community has no role in the broadcast, CBS News is missing out on a marketing tool more powerful than broadcast promotion, word of mouth. If you had to cut a promo for the CBS Evening News, how would you make it stand out?