• by Aaron Baar , March 10, 2010

Jenn-Air will promote its high-end kitchen appliances with a new 10-episode Web video series to be hosted by cookbook author Tori Ritchie, who also hosts Fine Living's "Ultimate Kitchens" and is a contributor to the "CBS Early Show." 

"This is a very premium, upscale product that goes head-to-head with Wolf and Viking," says Richard Shore, COO of digital production house RedLever, which is producing and distributing the series in partnership with digital advertising agency Digitas. "This is sort of a new coming out for Jenn-Air after being a market player for some time."

The series, premiering on March 22, is called "In The Kitchen," and will follow different contestants -- such as a pair of reunited brothers, a newly engaged couple and a group celebrating a grandmother's 105th birthday -- who are trying to impress someone special by cooking a memorable meal in two hours. "These are people that all have an interest in getting into the kitchen and being sure they create a really, really nice meal," Shore tells Marketing Daily. "We kept it very traditional and heart strings-pulling."

In the episodes (which will be shown on their own dedicated microsite), the contestants will prepare and present the meals to Ritchie, who will judge them based on "Technique and Taste," "Presentation and Pairing" and "Ingenuity." During the series, consumers will be able to vote for their favorite contestant, entering a sweepstakes to win a Jenn-Air beverage center. The winning contestant will get a full collection of Jenn-Air appliances.

The Web series is part of a larger marketing campaign designed to showcase the brand's new luxury appliances, including wall ovens, cooktops, refrigerators and ventilation systems. By going with a branded entertainment series as part of its campaign, the company is hoping to attract a more engaged audience than through traditional digital advertising, Shore says.

"As part of our value proposition, we have sold [Jenn-Air] on the idea that for traditional digital advertisements, the [engagement] rates are pretty low," he says. "We are really trying to increase the engagement and have an ongoing dialogue with [Jenn-Air's] customers."