Reading this story last week about Fox News’ cheeky ad putting down CNN and CNBC got me thinking about how and when an organization’s marketing approach is forced to change to adapt to a competitor’s direct challenge. This no-holds-barred advertising is is not a new one for Fox News. Just last year they ran ads that savaged CNN for closing their Chicago bureau and for being too partisan. For years Fox News ran a full billboard right outside CNN’s Atlanta offices that mocked their ratings and air personalities. And Fox News did all this while beating their competition by almost two-to-one numbers.
Cheap shots? Sure. Tacky? Probably. Effective? Yes. The ads have never ceased to get under CNN and their viewers’ skin.
Some have been labeled the ads as beneath the news business. But considering the blurring of news and entertainment over the last two decades, is it any surprise that the bare-knuckled, competitive entertainment culture that has ruled the TV, film, and music industry for decades has made its way into news? CNN’s marketing and messaging approach has been to stay above the fray. Not get their hands dirty. Stay classy, if you will.
But how long can they hold out? In a business where perception is often reality, CNN prefers to behave like the market leader and not address the competition. But the more Fox News runs ads like this, the more they educate the public that CNN is not now and has not been a market leader for almost a decade. Fox’s on-air stylings and personalities have influenced changes at CNN significantly over the last few years so how long can CNN’s marketing tack not change too? I for one would love for the gloves to come off. As Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and Dominos have shown in the last year, targeting the category market leaders has done wonders for chipping away at Starbucks and Subway’s market share. It’s time for CNN to take the fight to Fox News too.
Come on CNN…Get in the ring.
