Bravo Seeks To 'Affluence' Media Buyers, Break Through Upfront Clutter

by David Goetzl, Jun 25, 2007, 8:00 AM

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Several months ago, Bravo tossed ideas around for an overarching upfront pitch. That's when Frances Berwick, head of programming, sent an e-mail suggesting that "Affluentials" serve as a description for an upscale, trend-setting audience. Some slight tinkering yielded "Affluencers," which the network plugged in meetings with agencies this spring. Now they've taken it to the streets of New York.

In a campaign targeting media buyers, the network's melding of "affluent" and "influential" to create the "Affluencer"--now being trademarked--is on placards above subway entrances and the platforms below. It's on phone kiosks and other outdoor real estate. Plus, placements touting the newly coined psychographic are strategically located near the major buying shops.

The creative features a man and woman--each presumably smack in the middle of the network's 18-to-49 target--about to buy the latest HDTV or the hottest fashions, then tell others about them. Jason Klarman, executive vice president-marketing and digital, who headed the campaign, calls it a "qualitative message about the audience and who's watching."

Bravo also takes its consumer tagline--"Watch What Happens"--and stretches it into the media-buyer-friendly "Watch What Happens When You Buy."

Besides the out-of-home effort, which also includes "wild postings" and network decals splayed at the doorsteps of the big agencies, the campaign employed other nontraditional tactics to reach the trade. Those included a presence on Web locales, such as Gawker, PerezHilton and AOL Instant Messenger, targeted by ZIP-code, so only those visiting in, say 10017--home of MediaCom and Initiative--would be exposed.

Cable networks frequently run out-of-home campaigns in New York but employ consumer-oriented creative, hoping it has a runoff influence on media buyers. By going with a straight trade effort, Bravo attempted a more direct pitch as sort of a hot-knife-through-the-clutter tactic. "Bravo is about being unexpected, surprising and creative in our approach in every way, and our communications strategy should speak to that," Klarman says.

Klarman said the ROI is as simple as the performance in the current upfront. Bravo saw its 2006 revenues jump a scant 3% from the previous year--$223.4 million from $216.8, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

The network, which was included in a large upfront deal two weeks ago covering many NBC Universal properties, has a new head of ad sales, Susan Malfa, who joined from Court TV in March. The network's prime-time ratings in its target 18-to-49 demo for the just-completed season were flat at a .2.

Bravo parent NBC Universal also ran a New York trade campaign on phone kiosks this spring, pushing the company's belief that the media world is moving "Beyond the :30" and increasingly into new platforms. "Innovate, target, lead, measure, engagement," the creative encouraged media buyers.

Bravo's programming includes "Project Runway," "Top Chef" and the inveterate "Inside the Actor's Studio." It now runs originals on a third night, Thursdays.

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