Why Chase Is Partnering Up With Reality TV
Bravo / Chase Sapphire Preferred
Top Chef Masters host Curtis Stone and chef David Burke.
Before tonight's premiere of "Top Chef Masters," foodies had a chance to try David Burke and other nationally renowned chefs' first meals at an intimate underground event in Soho. Fifty VIP guests were Chase Sapphire Preferred card holders.
Chase threw the event to celebrate its first-time partnership with the reality show.
Reality TV doesn't necessarily have the best reputation, but Chase Sapphire Preferred marketing director Jeff Bedard thinks the "Top Chef" franchise is the perfect match.
"We are excited to work on reality television when it's reality television around the culinary world because that's a great slice of our life, being involved in the dining experience" Bedard said. "So we weren't worried about that at all. We were actually pretty excited, particularly with a network like Bravo because they're so strong."
Last year, Chase partnered with Bravo on Top Chef Masters judge Curtis Stone's other show, "Around the World in 80 Plates."
A 2011 survey of Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders stated that they are most interested in travel and dining experiences. Thus, Chase Sapphire Preferred has also formed culinary partnerships with Bon Appetite magazine and the James Beard Foundation.
Chase worked with Bravo to create other, brand appropriate perks.
On top of being able to attend the pre-premiere event, cardholders had the chance to attend this season's infamous "Restaurant Wars" episode, in which the master chefs create a restaurant from scratch usually in only 24 hours.
"We are also creating some custom online content with Bravo," Bedard said.
Chase teamed up with chef Art Smith to create a video series in which he recreated some of "Top Chef's" most memorable dishes. The company is also creating an interactive map of the U.S. so that customers can find their favorite chefs' restaurants.
"The chefs that are part of the Top Chef series are really the best chefs in the United States," Bedard said. "We want to make sure we are partnering with the marquis chefs that are out there because that is what are members are the most interested in."
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