BRAVO
Agency: 360i
Brand: Top Chef: Just Desserts
Campaign Brief:
OVERVIEW – BRAVO is one of the most instantly
recognizable television properties in the world, with more breakout stars and
critically-acclaimed original series than any other cable network. The
network’s lineup of original programming brings its upscale and educated
audience the very best content spanning food, fashion, beauty and pop culture –
and strives to engage viewers before, during and after the viewing experience.
CHALLENGE – BRAVO wanted to drive tune-in, awareness and engagement for its new
series Top Chef: Just Desserts, which premiered in September 2010. Based on
consumer insights, BRAVO understood that its upscale, educated viewership was
also digitally-savvy, readily equipped with web-enabled mobile devices (80% of
BRAVO viewers have smartphones, while the national average is 20%) and eager to
share and discuss content in online spaces.
This keen understanding of its audience inspired BRAVO to craft a promotional
strategy built upon social-mobile sharing and interaction. The stunt, dubbed
“Just Desserts Day,” encouraged viewers to engage with the BRAVO brand and
provided participants with free desserts at venues across the country.
SOLUTION – Recognizing the special opportunities presented to BRAVO by its
digitally inclined, mobile-friendly user base, BRAVO embarked on an innovative
mobile-social promotional strategy that tapped into both established platforms
(Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare) as well as new players on the scene
(Foodspotting app). Each platform granted viewers the opportunity to connect
with BRAVO and evolve their relationship with the brand from passive viewer to
active advocate.
The campaign included the following core components: Twitter (hub for
announcements & sharing), Facebook (Food Porn app asked viewers to upload
photos for a chance to win $5K), Foursquare (special one-day event badge &
deals at 300+ local dessert shops) and Foodspotting. Foodspotting is an
emerging platform that lets users share photos of what they’re eating with
fellow foodies, and with Top Chef Just Desserts, BRAVO became the first-ever
advertiser to sponsor a specific category within the app.
RESULTS – The campaign drove awareness through tens of millions of impressions
and allowed BRAVO’s social-savvy viewer base to connect with the show ahead of
the premiere. The substantial buzz leading up to the first episode helped Top
Chef: Just Desserts secure 1.6MM viewers.
Key one-day results include:
Twitter – 3.7MM impressions
• ‘Desserts’ became a trending topic in 6 major markets (NYC, LA, CHI, D.C.,
Baltimore & Seattle)
• 540+ Foursquare check-ins posted to Twitter (visits to Just Dessert Day
vendor partners)
• More than 1,200 updates including #JustDessertsDay hashtag
• More than 1,000 @Bravotv mentions & re-tweets
Facebook – 212,000 impressions of Just Desserts Day posts
Paid Media –77K clicks on tune-in ads, ads driving to Facebook page and ads
driving to Just Desserts Day Event page; 20K clicks on Facebook Page tab
Foodspotting – 5,940 Guide Views
Average time spent on page was nearly 3 minutes
Blogs & Portal Coverage – 3MM impressions
Supplemental Digital Word of Mouth outreach garnered earned media impressions
on top blogs and entertainment sites such as Gawker, the Huffington Post and
AOL’s Slash Food (86% of posts linked back to BravoTV.com and 55% included
BRAVO widget.
FINAL THOUGHTS -- BRAVO has been a trailblazer in its ability to leverage
social and mobile marketing strategies to translate buzz into reality, and to
evolve its audience base from passive viewers to active brand advocates. The
Top Chef: Just Desserts Day social media campaign rewarded pre-existing BRAVO
fans and enlisted an army of new fans by rewarding them with social currency
& real-world gifts in the form of free desserts. Not only did the effort
strengthen the brand’s relationship with its unique viewer base, but it also
leveraged its viewers’ social-mobile adeptness to create buzz ahead of the
premiere of the latest installment of Top Chef.
Link to Your Creative
Materials: http://bit.ly/DPACBravo
