The name “Courageous” will immediately remind longtime CNNers of network founder Ted Turner, who sailed the yacht Courageous to victory in the 1977 America’s Cup.
For reasons not immediately clear, Turner has chosen that evocative name for the company’s first branded content studio, which was announced today. The effort promises to take the Ted Turner’s iconic news brand and put it to work for marketers.
“Now we can offer marketers the opportunity to harness the value proposition of CNN like never before,” said Dan Riess, Turner’s executive vice president of integrated marketing and branded content. “CNN is the most trusted name in news. It has two fully distributed television networks as well as CNN Airport Network, one of the largest digital and social audiences in the world and a true global footprint. Combine all of this with CNN’s video storytelling heritage and it’s clear why Courageous is an important step as we build on Turner’s existing content marketing capabilities for our clients.”
Turner promises advertisers the new studio will “produce relevant storytelling” designed to meet “marketing objectives,” which will then be distributed “across CNN’s global portfolio of linear and digital properties as well as optimized for success on social platforms.” Custom content, the company says, “will be clearly labeled as sponsored to uphold CNN’s editorial integrity.”