Time Warner?s CNN has placed fifth in Mobile Marketer?s Mobile Publisher of the Year awards.

Based on the nominations received from readers and submissions from this publication's editorial team, Mobile Marketer is convinced that CNN serves as a role model for publishers and media companies for its outstanding use of the mobile medium. Here is a breakdown of CNN?s work in the mobile space in 2010:

Brands such as Lexus, Chevron, SAP and Volkswagen have all advertised on one or more of CNN?s mobile properties (see story).

Media brands are leaving no stone unturned to offer advertisers a package comprising mobile sites, applications, SMS alerts and social media integration, and CNN is no exception.

In addition to breaking news, the publisher offers various content categories, including travel, technology and food, which provides an opportunity to advertisers if it makes sense to pair a product or service with a specific topic.

SMS is a great way to encourage consumers to sign up and build a company?s database, per CNN.

Once consumers opt in, throughout the year the company can use that to drive to other sales and promotions and build an ongoing relationship that every brand wants with its consumers.

CNN believes that this is the year of mobile metrics and realizes that it is important to see how mobile can be just beyond a click-through rate (see story).

CNN Election Center apps
CNN is placing mobile at the center of its midterm election coverage plans with the launch of free applications for Google?s Android, Research In Motion?s BlackBerry and Apple?s iPhone and iPod touch.

The multiplatform CNN Election Center ? accessible via mobile phone, laptop or television ? channels the resources of CNN.com?s political reporting team, the CNN Political Unit, CNN?s Washington and New York bureaus and journalists in the field, as well as CNN?s army of iReporters.

Cisco is running banner ads within the applications (see story).

CNN?s international news app
Following the success of its iPhone and iPod touch application in the United States last year, in July CNN launched an international news application targeting readers overseas.

The interactive application features the ability to follow news by topic, upload iReports and watch video.

The launch sponsor is wind power company Suzlan.

The application maximizes the newest features of iOS 4. It features push notification, regionalization and personalization tools.

CNN showcases important global news through text, video and photos, and also includes user-generated content capture and upload functionality through iReport, CNN?s user-generated news community. 

Consumers are given the ability to ?follow? a story or topic. As CNN publishes new stories and developments related to topics designated by the user, the application will automatically alert the user by pushing a notification to the device. 

?Saved? content functionality gives users access to text stories that interest them anytime, anywhere ? even when they are offline.

Regionally-targeted news based on the user?s selection of content from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America or the Middle East.

The application lets users browse user-generated content, register, sign-in to their account or sign on as a guest to capture and instantly upload user-generated photos and videos.

Users can also browse iReport?s latest ?assignments,? asking the community to weigh in on various news stories.

The application is easy to navigate. Users can flick through news stories across categories including Top Stories, U.S., Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Business, Sport, Entertainment, Tech and Travel.

Each story features bulleted highlights above the full article, designed to satisfy mobile ?snackers,? allowing them to easily scan through the latest stories.

Users can share stories via email, Twitter and Facebook directly from the application.

The application gives users access to an extensive selection of on-demand video clips across many categories, including World, Most Popular, Sport, Business, U.S., Entertainment, Tech and CNN en Español.

Multi-screen approach key to maximum engagement
Anchor and special correspondent Soledad O?Brien stressed the importance of mobile devices for her reporting and for CNN?s brand during the opening keynote address at the Mobile Marketing Association's Mobile Marketing Forum in June.

The nature of media has changed?publishers and broadcast networks can no longer simply count on consumers sitting back and consuming their content passively in front of a TV or desktop computer.

CNN prioritizes engaging consumers by encouraging them to interact with reporters, and thus its brand, via Twitter, the mobile Web and applications, and even participate in the content-creation process (see story).

CNNMoney taps Gowalla for content distribution
This summer, CNNMoney partnered with Gowalla to connect the location-based mobile social network with Money Magazine?s annual ?100 Best Places to Live in America? list.

On July 12, CNNMoney.com broke its one-day traffic record during the launch of Money?s 2010 Best Places to Live feature, with 50 million-plus page views in one day, which is up 52 percent compared to page views last year.

Much of that traffic was a result of mobile users accessing the site on their smartphones (see story).

The partnership with Gowalla is the just latest example of CNNMoney?s use of the mobile channel.

In May CNNMoney.com launched its first application for Research In Motion?s BlackBerry, which joined a number of existing ways to access CNNMoney.com mobile content, including an iPhone application, text updates and mobile site (see story).

CNN distributes video content via mobile TV
In March, Turner Broadcasting expanded its partnership with mobile broadcast TV company Flo TV Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc., to bring consumers CNN Mobile programming.

The mobile channel includes programming from CNN U.S., CNN International and HLN, as well as CNN.com content.

The channel will be available on the Flo TV Personal Television and Flo TV Auto Entertainment platforms, in addition to its current availability as part of AT&T Mobile TV (see story).

While Flo TV has hit hard times, the mobile TV category as a whole still has substantial growth potential.

Final Take