Branding…

Multichannel News has an article on some of the branding strategies CNN has undertaken this election cycle…

This political season, football fans have been waving foam fingers reading “CNN=Politics” toward a stadium Jumbotron featuring a tune-in message from Wolf Blitzer.

Partisans in two dozen markets have also mixed peaceably while waiting in line to record “shout-outs” on their own political views. And some viewers have attended parties with faux versions of John McCain and Barack Obama.

Those are a handful of the strategies CNN crafted this election season to showcase its brand while also letting local affiliates interact with viewers. Several of the campaigns were new: In 2004, the news network relied mainly on the “CNN Express Yourself Tour,” a mobile marketing initiative set up in schools, malls and festivals across the country to interact with viewers with the “shout-outs,” trivia-quiz competitions and a chance to design personalized election memorabilia.