CNBC ad campaign to feature executives who are watchers

Louise Story of The New York Times writes Thursday that the new CNBC advertising campaign will display prominent executives such as Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines who watch the network.

She wrote, “The campaign was in the works before CNBC knew about Mr. Murdoch’s plan to create a business network on cable, said Mark Hoffman, president of CNBC, but it nonetheless comes at a good time. This week, some members of the family that controls Dow Jones & Company decided to support a sale of the company to Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation.

“Although CNBC has an agreement to carry reports from Dow Jones through 2012, the successful bid by Mr. Murdoch makes it seem inevitable that reporting and analysis from Dow Jones will eventually migrate to Mr. Murdoch’s business channel.

“Mr. Hoffman said that he thinks CNBC’s audience will hold its own against the competition.

“‘When you watch CNBC, you’re in the company of really interesting and successful people, and I think that comes through in the campaign,’ Mr. Hoffman said. ‘You’re in a very unique, rarefied space.'”

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