Brief:
- The Bravo TV network partnered with on-demand food delivery company Postmates to promote the season 15 premiere of reality cooking show "Top Chef." Customers can get free delivery from Postmates on Dec. 6-8 by using the code “TOPCHEF” when placing an order online or on its mobile app, per a press release.
- For the first time in Los Angeles, Postmates will roll out its fleet of robotic rovers for select deliveries throughout the city. Twitter users can follow the hashtag #topchefrobots to get live reports about the driverless rovers, which are branded with a special logo for the collaboration.
- Foodies can also order dishes from the "Bravo's Top Chef x Postmates" collection that features restaurants in L.A. headed by the show's alums.
Insight:
While this year’s new season of “Top Chef” is set in Colorado, much of Postmates’ promotional action is happening in Los Angeles with the rollout of its robotic food delivery fleet. Postmates first introduced robotic rovers in Washington, D.C., in January to test food deliveries for short distances.
The collaboration between Bravo’s “Top Chef” and Postmates is well suited to target fans who want the opportunity to taste dishes cooked up by past contestants in the L.A. area, including restaurants like Border Grill, Da Kikokiko, Lukshon, Sack Sandwiches and Wolf. The L.A. promotion includes a sweepstakes to win a free year of Postmates Unlimited, a $9.99 monthly subscription service that offers free delivery from all merchants when customers spend $20 or more on an order.
Bravo isn’t a stranger to using mobile platforms to promote “Top Chef.” The network hosted a “virtual viewing party” as part of its promotion for the sixth season of the show that let fans connect with the series through Twitter, Facebook Connect and live chats. The promotion scored an increased level of engagement among “Top Chef” viewers, including 1.2 million page views.
Bravo has previously promoted the show through pop-up restaurants, food trucks and tasting events, but the innovative delivery system takes things to a new level, as customers will potentially want to share photos or videos on social media of receiving their food via robot, boosting buzz online about the tech.
