Digital journalism upstarts and print journalism stalwarts have been trying for years to convince their most devoted readers to pay for the news. Now, CNN wants to do it, too.

Details: The cable news network is today debuting CNN+, a $5.99-a-month subscription service aimed at CNN superfans, news buffs, and lovers of nonfiction programming alike. The service, ad-free to start, offers a lineup of content that is not available on CNN, including live breaking-news-centric programming, exclusive on-demand nonfiction shows, and interactive segments where subscribers can submit questions they’d like to see answered.

Big picture: The service joins an already crowded streaming market chock-full of entertainment options from platforms like Netflix and Disney+, as well as all-in-one services with network news options, like Paramount+ and Peacock. Executives say they see space for a service like CNN+ since there are few streamers that offer original live news coverage. But the jury is still out on how big that opportunity is.

“There’s really nothing like CNN+ out there in the market,” Alex MacCallum, head of product and general manager of CNN+, told Marketing Brew. “Broadcast [news] channels, like NBC News and ABC, [are] components of broader entertainment services [like Peacock and Hulu]. There’s news products that are really based in print, like the New York Times, the Washington Post, etc. There’s a bunch of audio news experiences. There’s really nothing that is a video-first, high-quality news service out there in the market.”

Trying something new

Other cable news networks have dipped their toes into streaming with different approaches.

• In 2018, Fox Corp. debuted Fox Nation, a $5.99-per-month service centering on opinion segments and programming like documentaries and true crime.
• More recently, MSNBC has directed some news and opinion programming to the Comcast-owned streaming service Peacock after it airs on linear TV. (Neither Fox Nation nor Peacock publicly disclose their subscriber counts.)

CNN+ will largely focus on news, featuring eight to 12 hours of live programming per weekday helmed by CNN talent like Kasie Hunt, Chris Wallace, and Wolf Blitzer, along with live interviews and weekly series. MacCallum says she expects live viewing to dominate during the week when much of that programming will air, while on-demand programming, including docuseries, cooking shows, and interview series, may rise to the top during the weekend.

The company is also betting on interactivity as a selling point. A section called “Interview Club” will allow subscribers to browse conversations by topic and preview upcoming interviews with newsmakers—and submit questions in advance via the mobile or desktop app—before the interviews stream live during the week.

But CNN+ arrives at a challenging moment for the cable network. Read more here.—KS

It’s been 23 years since the Truth Initiative began educating kids on the effects of tobacco in the form of singing cowboys and glass-filled popsicles. While cigarette smoking among young people has gone down, the popularity of e-cigarettes has caused the group to refocus their efforts on vaping in recent years.

Its latest campaign, “Breath of Stress Air,” focuses on a major reason for nicotine use—anxiety—hoping to show users (and potential users) that while it may seemingly provide relief, research has shown that young people who quit vaping or smoking tend to be less anxious, stressed, and depressed than those who don’t.

• But even with vaping rates potentially down, a government survey last year found that 2 million teens and kids vape.
• And a recent Morning Consult survey found that 25% of e-cigarette users picked up the habit during the pandemic.

So, can the organization replicate the success it says it saw in curbing cigarette use given modern challenges?

Debunk and de-stress

“Breath of Stress Air” is a follow-up to last year’s “Depression Stick” campaign, which also focused on debunking mental-health myths often associated with tobacco use. Robin Koval, CEO of Truth Initiative, told us it was important for the group to reach nicotine users and dispel notions of vaping as a stress reliever, which “the tobacco industry has propagated.”

Jono Paull, group creative director at Mojo Supermarket, the agency behind both campaigns, told us that both “Stress Air” and “Depression Stick” were inspired by research on what would resonate best with 15–24 year-olds. “The data around vaping and mental health showed us that this was an issue that Gen Z really cared a lot about,” he said.

Click here to read more about how the Truth Initiative is trying to reach young people.—KH

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew’s readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Tod Meisner is a brand manager at Aflac, where he leads the company’s enterprise social media strategy. Before joining Aflac, Meisner told Marketing Brew he worked both on the agency side and client side as a social media strategist.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? I try to sell insurance policies with a quacking duck!

Favorite project you’ve worked on? Aflac’s 2021 “Earning The Aflacket” campaign featuring Nick Saban and “Coach Prime,” Deion Sanders.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? I really liked the Liquid Death Super Bowl commercial that ran regionally. I like all the work that brand is doing, and love its background on how/why it got started.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? I still hold my high school’s career- and single-season basketball free-throw percentage records (84% and 87%).

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? As an adjunct instructor (at Auburn and West Virginia Universities), the trend that I’m most excited about, tbh, is the next generation of marketers graduating from college/university. Being able to have a hand in changing [the] higher education curriculum and to be able to coach these individuals up is so rewarding. I can tell you first-hand that these young professionals are going to take our industry to a whole new level! Least for me is all things metaverse, NFTs, etc.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? Besides y’all? A fun group I’ve recently been a part of on Twitter is the #PopChat series on Twitter, hosted by fellow marketer/adjunct, Brianne Fleming.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Search party: Another day, another ads update: TikTok is beta-testing ads that surface in search results on the platform.

Speaking of search (and tests): YouTube is testing out “search chips,” or suggestions that appear under the search bar, which may help with content discovery.

The social network: Not sure which ad format to use on Facebook? This guide shares tips to help you figure out the right approach.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• How Abercrombie & Fitch is using TikTok to reach former customers
• 10-minute TikToks: Social media managers react
• Monthly podcast listening is down, according to study

Subscriber churn, a major headache for paid streaming video services, averages a whopping 37% in the US, according to new data released by Deloitte. Which age group is most likely to have churned from a paid streaming video service in the last six months?

1. Gen Z
2. Millennials
3. Gen X
4. Boomers

Keep scrolling for the answer.