CNN Business Re-Brand & Re-Platform

The Problem

CNN Business and CNN were originally on two separate CMS’s and technology stacks, which made maintenance difficult and costly. At the same time, leadership re-position CNN Business as a premium product so that they could achieve a higher CPM. From a user problem perspective, we know from analytics that the drop off below the fold was significant. Also, users were many clicks away from accessing the market data.

My Role

  • Presented progress and designs to executive leadership and stakeholders.

  • Delivered wireframes to meet product needs.

  • Implemented design solutions for ad components and ad placements.

  • Drove design output by 3 product designers.

  • Was Design Leader in the cross-functional leadership team.

The Tasks & Activities

  • Re-position CNN Business’s brand and value proposition.

  • Build landing page templates using CNN’s existing CMS toolkit.

  • Define the “Business theme” for page level components.

  • Train and onboard the editorial teams onto CNN’s main CMS.

Editorial art exploration by the Visual Designers on my team

Social and data viz exploration by the Visual Designers on my team

Branding work

The Results

  • User: 15% growth in uniques vs. previous quarter, closer brand alignment with CNN had a favorable impact on user trust.

  • $$$: Display revenue: +17%, eCPM: + 20%

  • Platform: Increased capabilities such as dynamic page creation, LiveStory capability (live blog)

  • Learnings:

    • Regular and transparent communication was key to managing executive stakeholders.

    • I learned the importance of setting up a vision and strategic approach for the team.