Top Chef Brings its Brand to Life

In its fourth season, Top Chef, the top rated food show on cable television, is emerging as a formidable competitor to Food Network as it continues to extend its brand. Already selling an array of products (Fan Gear, Chef’s Library, Chef’s Tools) through its branded online shop, Bravo is bringing Top Chef to life by creating new touchpoints through which viewers can interact with the brand. Such as:

Top Chef: The Tour: An 18-wheel “Top Chef” truck will stop at 20 cities across the U.S., offering cooking demonstrations, gourmet tips, and of course, Top Chef gear. Former cheftestants are also expected to be present.

Top Chef Cruise: A Top Chef branded luxury cruise is in the works for May, 2009.

Top Chef Cooking Classes: Bravo has teamed up with the Culinary Institute of America to offer Top Chef branded cooking classes at New York’s Astor Center this summer.

Frances Berwick, executive VP and general manager of Bravo Media, describes the company’s strategy:

Our goal with this is to really go beyond the network with our show brands and affinity groups. Viewers are often fanatical about our shows, and many of these things are tactile versions of who the viewers are and ways to extend their experience. We’re all about being more Bravo in more places more often, and this all speaks to that.

-Contributed by Robert Hsu