CNN Snaps up millennials
Amplifying the story of a Turner division without stealing the thunder of efforts on their own platforms.
If you’re like some of us at TurnerNow, or maybe just a person over 40, you’re divided on the whole Snapchat thing. Yes, seeing yourself in the latest Snapchat photo filter can be priceless. (Have you seen the one that dresses you like your nana, complete with a nana handbag!?!) But, hello—what else is it for?
Well, now it can be told. Snapchat is becoming a bonafide place to get the latest news thanks to our colleagues at CNN. Back in 2015, CNN Digital was a launch partner when Snapchat dipped its toes into the waters of content with their “Stories” tool. Now, CNN’s on the cutting edge again as a launch partner with Snapchat’s newest venture, Shows.
Turner Now talked to CNN Digital Senior Producer, Allison Morrow, about the new show called, The Update. Allison explained that Snapchat saw what millions of viewers see, CNN is a is a strong brand and trusted news provider.
Commenting on being a Snapchat launch partner, Allison said, “I think it's worked well for both Snapchat, who wants quality news, and CNN who wants to create a CNN experience for readers of all generations. Snapchat has that millennial face to it.”
We wondered about the differences between a news story on CNN and one on Snapchat. How do you speak to Snapchat’s audience where content is much shorter than traditional news pieces? Or might expect Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room with the bunny ears filter.
Allison explained, “The principles of good storytelling remain the same, but we also recognize that it is a younger and exclusively mobile audience. A package that might run 2-3 minutes on air is generally going to be too long and too slow for us.”
So, she and her team set about creating a “show” that you can watch while you’re having you’re having your morning coffee.
“You’ve got just a couple of minutes to figure out what you need to know before you’re out the door,” Allison said.
Along the way, there were some interesting challenges like adapting TV’s horizontal frame size to Snapchat’s signature vertical orientation that its users have come to love.
“It's a completely new space for digital publishing. There wasn't any real model of how to do a TV show on Snapchat,” Allison said. At first, we thought we would have a unique Snapchat anchor. Then we tried going with just a voiceover, no host. Ultimately we found the best experience for our readers is being introduced into CNNs incredible stable of talent from TV.”
Allison noted that The Update sticks very closely to CNN’s bread and butter: breaking news, politics and the biggest national and international headlines. But they do have social content on there as well; after all, the operation is housed in the social sphere. The team taps into what their audience is talking about on other platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
There’s a lot to learn. Allison and her team are exploring totally new territory and all the challenges that come along with it. However, bringing CNN’s award-winning brand of communication to an entirely new audience makes this venture incredibly exciting.
“We’re in a time where everyone needs to speak both languages of social and more core journalism. I think the team at CNN is the key example of a group of people who have really good news judgment but can also speak the social language.”
We couldn’t have said it better, Allison. Congrats to you and the whole team at CNN Digital. Once again leveraging a new platform to share the power of the CNN brand with more viewers or, maybe we should say, fans.
