• by Tanya Gazdik , April 15, 2016

Toyota is the sponsor and a main part of the storyline of a multi-city video series from “Serious Eats,” whose audience is largely Millennials.  

The fifth of sixth episodes launched this week and the engagement results have been robust, says Chrissie Lamond, "Serious Eats" VP of creative, on the "Date Night Presented by Toyota Sienna" series. Hundreds of entrants vie for each spot at private dinners with their favorite restaurateurs.

The resulting videos and posts are only in their first weeks of life on the site, but are already gaining traction with "Serious Eats" readers, performing at an average of 215% beyond "Serious Eats" Creative Kitchen's standard benchmarks, Lamond says.

The minivan is a large part of the storyline, demonstrating its versatility and convenience as well as its refined, technology-packed interior as chefs drive it to pick up ingredients at local farmers’ markets in preparation for their tasting menus, and couples are chauffeured to their destination dates.

"This was the perfect chance to work with our chef friends in a way that highlights their work in their own terms,"  Lamond tells Marketing Daily. "Putting them together with Toyota and fans eager for a special meal made the program a natural win."  

Cities visited in the series are Venice, Calif., Boston, Chicago, New York, Dallas and Miami.

“At Toyota, we believe 'Serious Eats' is one of the ultimate dining destinations for today’s Millennials,” says Marc Shioya, marketing and communications planner for Toyota Sienna, in a release. “This partnership was a fresh way to showcase the best of both brands to an audience that matters to us.”

"Serious Eats" has experienced a 40% increase in traffic during the past 18 months, to 8.2 million uniques; monthly views are at an all-time high of 25 million.