Luxury automaker Lexus is the launch sponsor of the CNN iPad application, which allows both the publisher and the brand to provide users with an immersive and visual experience that takes full advantage of the device?s expansive real estate and multitouch interface.

When consumers first open the application, they are notified it is sponsored by Lexus. Then the Lexus ad appears in a collage of content, which users can click on. The ad almost looks as if it is part of the content.

"Generally speaking, consumers who use the iPad tend to be tech savvy and mirror a larger share of CNN?s digital audience that tends to value technology, be more affluent, and wield a greater degree of social influence within their circles of friends, family and colleagues," said Greg D'Alba, executive vice president and chief operating officer of CNN Ad Sales and Marketing.    

CNN Worldwide is a division of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a Time Warner company.

Lexus ad
The Lexus ad reads, ?Not from the future, for it.? Consumers are asked to click to discover the world?s most advanced driving simulator.

Here is a screen grab of the ad:

Consumers can click to get more information on the new simulator, which began with a need for a deeper understanding of the driver and grew into an innovation so revolutionary, it could change the way we move through the world, and how we drive tomorrow.

The ad tells consumers they can learn more at http://www.lexus.com/tomorrow or click to watch a video.

Here is a screen grab of the full-page ad:

Here is the video content users are connected to.

Mr. D'Alba said ads in within the CNN application for iPad are designed to be integrated into the experience in a way that allows for easy consumption of both.

Generally speaking, consumers who use this technology are accustomed to and largely comfortable with an ad-supported platform and are not adverse to advertising messages while obtaining free content, he said.

Mr. D'Alba said that advertisers will have the opportunity for a loading page logo presence, display media/banner ads, expandable overlays and video slates. 

Logo and banner ad executions on the CNN iPad application will support jpeg, pdg or gif formats, while the expanded overlays will render in HTML5, providing users with a rich-media experience.

Ad opportunities will continue to evolve, and subsequent updates/phases of the CNN iPad application will continue to have strong appeal to advertisers, he said.  

CNN app
"The iPad presents some compelling ways to deliver content, both in apps and on the web. For the app, rather than simply replicating CNN.com, we wanted to do something different that taps into apps? potential for the display of stunning imagery and delivery of content in new ways," said Louis Gump, vice president of CNN Mobile, Atlanta.

"One of the best aspects of this is that we can surface some of the great content that consumers might not naturally stumble upon as quickly on CNN.com," he said. "We included up to 350 of the latest stories in a visually stimulating, beautifully designed broadsheet view and have included even more video content, which looks cinematic on the iPad.

"The net result is that we?re delivering lots of world-class journalism in a way that enables our consumers to be on top of a broad cross-section of news every day."

Focused on creating a transformative news experience for its audience, CNN for iPad combines imagery with text stories, blog posts, photo galleries, and live or on-demand video.

Users have the ability to toggle between U.S. and international news preferences, both of which serve live video of breaking news and select events as they happen.

Additionally, when in the U.S. news preference, users can listen to hourly audio news updates from CNN Radio.

The CNN application also places strong emphasis on user participation, adding an easily accessible comment feature that runs alongside content on the screen.

Additionally, users can share text stories, images and videos from the application via email, Facebook and Twitter.

The CNN for iPad application provides users with three viewing options: broadsheet, list view and slide show.

? Broadsheet, the default view, presents up to 350 of the latest news stories in a grid-format featuring powerful imagery and headlines.

? Users can dive more deeply into a topic by selecting from any of the headlines or from a variety of topics.

? In addition, users can access the ?Featured? section, which houses editorially-curated stories representing a cross-section of CNN?s most enterprising reporting.

? Finally, broadsheet?s ?video? section includes a premium collection of on-demand video clips from CNN?s television networks and CNN.com.

? List view features a running list of headlines by topic and by category.

? Slide show allows users to scroll or swipe through a visual presentation of the day?s top headlines.

"The bottom line is that we want to offer CNN content to our consumers wherever they are, worldwide, in a way that works best for them," Mr. Gump said. "Many of our consumers go to CNN on multiple platforms, including TV, online and mobile.

"Mobile is an important and growing part of that strategy; in fact, the launch of the CNN App for iPad is our first-ever truly global launch," he said. "That?s just a tremendous milestone, and an indication of even greater potential. Furthermore, our advertisers are increasingly seeking out opportunities in the mobile space. In addition to a cross-platform buy including TV, online and mobile, we?re also seeing a trend where advertisers buy both mobile apps and mobile Web at the same time.

"This rapidly increasing demand enables us to invest even more in our consumer products. Overall, CNN is a business built on global scale and we want to ensure that everyone, everywhere can get our content - including our mobile applications and access to the mobile Web."

Final take
Here is a demo of the CNN application