Saturday, February 4th, 2012
Bravo?s ?Top Chef? is taking the helm for the NBC Universal cable network. The reality series is not alone in its quest to conquer prime time. ?Top Chef? is integrated with long time sponsors and new marketers, whom are anxiously awaiting the premiere of ?Top Chef New York? on November 12.
This year?s sponsors include Toyota, Clorox, Food & Wine Magazine, Campbell?s soup, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Quaker.
Kevin McAuliffe, VP of branded entertainment for NBC, says the secret to the show?s success is a strong commitment to creativity. He explains, ?At the very early stages, we have gut-check conversations where we say. Here?s the kind of things we’d like to creatively follow or look to bring into the show that fit its sensibility. Once we go through that, then we determine the kinds of ideas we?re going to pursue based on the specific direction we get from programming and producers.?
According Nielsen IAG research, Bravo was the highest-ranked network among all broadcast and cable TV in top categories for the first half of 2008. Experts credit the top ranking to shows like Top Chef, Project Runway, and Make Me a Supermodel.
