Top Chef: Everywhere

Photo nicked from here, many thanks.

Jeff Squires at PSFK points out the new brand extension initiatives from Bravo’s top rated show Top Chef. Here are the three initiatives:

Tour – Basically a truck will stop in 20 cities around the nation giving demonstrations, selling Top Chef gear and will feature appearances from contestants on the show. Sounds a little like the American Idol Tour with food (probably because Top Chef is just American Idol … with food). I am all for it, giving fans a physical experience to connect to, pretty cool.

Cruise – A luxury cruise set to take sail May 2009. Wha?!?! Am I missing something? How does this fit in with the brand or the show? Again this will provide a real world experience, but I think the commitment necessary stretches too far past just showing up an hour or two at a tour stop.

Cooking Classes – Top Chef branded cooking classes at the Culinary Institute of America. Oh no. The CIA is an institute in culinary education, and while Top Chef may be hot right now it is just that, hot for the moment. I can see the thinking, popularity of CSI and similar shows led to a big up-tick in applicants for forensic science, but I didn’t see co-branded classes showing up at University of Mississippi, University of Central Florida, or Loyola University (some of the top schools for forensic science). Every time two brands come together there is a positive association for one and a negative association for the other. I have to think the Culinary Institute is the one taking the hit here.

I am all for creating brand experiences and cooking is certainly ripe for that. I just believe there could be more relevant example to coincide with the Top Chef brand.