CNBC making advertising push

CNBC is making a major pitch to advertisers for its prime time programming, which it re-branded last Fall as “CNBC Smart,” reports Alex Weprin of TVNewser.

Weprin writes, “CNBC has been pushing ‘CNBC Smart’ heavily to media buyers in the last month or so, a buyer at one of the major agencies tells TVNewser. The pitch was that the programming block features shows and personalities that ‘Celebrate the American Dream.’ Indeed, in an advertisement in Ad Age this week (see after the jump), ‘Celebrate the American Dream’ is the tagline used to describe the block. The ad features an American flag motif made of words like ‘Inventors,’ ‘Moguls,’ ‘Mavericks’ and ‘Champions.’ In the past few weeks the network ran a contest where it gave one media buyer a Smart Car, and held a party in midtown’s Aspen Social Club to drum up attention for CNBC Smart.

“For years, CNBC’s primetime served as a place for reruns of shows from CNBC, NBC and elsewhere. In the last few years however, the network found substantial ratings success with its documentary features, which profiled businesses and businessmen, as well as industries that may be established – like television – or not, like marijuana growing.

“It looks like the network is opting to take what it has built with the docs, and expand on it. It’s pitch: the influencers that watch us during the day will tune in at night to get a lighter look at the world of business.”

Read more here.