CNN exec open to idea of ads in ticker

Ticker, zipper, flipper. Call it what you want: But that bottom line of text on CNN‘s screen may soon have a new role that goes straight to the network’s own bottom line — seller.

Katrina Cukaj, CNN’s executive vice president of ad sales, recently told Variety that she “could potentially” put an advertiser’s logo in a financial news ticker, as an example.

What does someone have to do to get a mug around here?

In a move that some compare to sports marketing strategies where a scoreboard serves as both an informational and marketing element, CNN (among other networks) could begin developing new ways to bring in revenue.

The network isn’t new to experiments in advertising — its morning show “New Day” was lambasted by the “Daily Show” for a “segment” called “To the Couch,” that featured the anchors walking, well, to the couch. Not only did the segment get its own tease, but it was a not-so-inconspicuous way to sneak in an ad within what appeared to be content (though we’re using “content” in the loosest sense of the term).

Nor is CNN unique it its attempts to work in advertiser mentions: On the local news scene, weather, traffic and sports segments have seen increasing sponsorship strategies interwoven into them, while ads in local news tickers are also common. These strategies are more common during morning news hours (because viewers just waking up don’t deserve the same respect?) but are also frequently seen in sports segments in all dayparts.

Meanwhile, CNN’s fellow cabler MSNBC also had a sponsorship deal with Starbucks in conjunction with its “Morning Joe” program where the tagline “Brewed by Starbucks” was added to the show’s title cards — and hosts sipped from branded mugs.

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Speaking of mugs — maybe CNN can take some of that money it gets from the new ad positions and get poor John Berman a mug.