• by Wayne Friedman , David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, October 5, 2010

"The Place for Politics" wants to widen its scope beyond the Inside the Beltway horse race -- at least in consumers' minds. MSNBC is debuting a new "Lean Forward" tagline later this month that will be touted in a multiplatform campaign, including spots from director Spike Lee. 

The "Lean Forward" catchphrase -- which has been used by some networks in promo efforts to signal their ability to captivate viewers -- is being deployed by MSNBC. The message: in tough times, viewers need to look beyond current news stories to the future. MSNBC said it marks an umbrella mission to "become a thought-leader brand dedicated to advancing the issues that move America ahead."

Part of the ad campaign will include MSNBC anchors on-air, but also employ print and out-of-home outlets. Lee will spearhead some of the spots.

Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, signaled that the branding is aspirational in nature. Spots back that idea up; they try to build on an American ethos with shots of JFK, the space shuttle, President Obama, troops abroad and multiple average Americans. One promo has a voiceover borrowing phrases from the Constitution.

"A year ago we decided to create our own marketing team, to establish our our identity," says Griffin, speaking to Media Daily News. "Brands win in cable." One the big reasons for the campaign, he says, was that while MSNBC has beaten CNN in key adults 25-54 ratings for many months now, CNN is well above MSNBC in brand awareness -- 94% to 51%.

"In its simplest form, it's a tagline ... in the broader sense, however, 'Lean Forward' captures the spirit of everything we do and everything we believe. It's about celebrating the best ideas, no matter where they come from -- that tomorrow can, in fact, be better than today," Griffin stated.

MSNBC feels the campaign works for both consumers and potential advertisers. "Consumers want progress," says Sharon Otterman, chief marketing officer for MSNBC, who started at the network a year ago. "'Lean Forward' is the emotional involvement of everything we do every day. 'Lean Forward' stands for consumers, which we think will resonate with media buyers."

While MSNBC's prime-time talk shows touch on some insightful ideas, there remains ample political posturing, which may run counter to a campaign that has echoes of a deep-diving magazine, such as The Economist.

MSNBC, launched in 1996, has become a political counterbalance to Fox News.