This week saw MasterChef wrap up its latest series with a staggering peak audience of 5.7 million viewers tuning in to see which “average joe” would win the cooking crown.
The massive audience – which peaked at 4.35 million in metro markets and 1.39 million in regional markets – makes the program the most watched non-sporting event since the new TV ratings were introduced and smashes last year’s final, which previously held the record.Obviously it was a coup for Ten and FremantleMedia, with the show becoming the first-ever to hit $100 million in ad revenue.
However, one of the big success stories has been Coles involvement with the program – specifically its ability to embed the brand so integrally within the program and beyond.
Given the bombardment of brands scrambling to get their products into the show, Coles should be awarded for positioning the brand so closely within the program that viewers could be forgiven for thinking it was Coles’ own show. And when they went online it was hard to determine where the MasterChef site ended and Coles’ site began.
The MasterChef effect on Coles sales has been widely reported, most notably the 30% increase in sales of meat overnight after an episode featured beef stroganoff.
The pay-off came this week when Coles reported sales of food and liquor had grown 4.2% in the quarter ending 30 June. Rival Woolworths is obviously feeling some of the public’s foodie obsession with its own sales up 3.3% in the same period.
While Woolworths still dominates the sector with total sales of $35 million compared to Coles’ $23 million, the program has helped reivigorate the Coles brand, which was looking lacklustre when it was bought by Wesfarmers in 2007 for $19 billion.
The boost in brand awareness alone for Coles has been worthwhile and given the supermarket has signed on for another two years with MasterChef, it’s banking on the success continuing.
As those who haven’t watched an episode boast smugly, the rest of us know they’ve missed a fascinating exercise in branding and product placement.
The fears that audiences would respond negatively to the product placement have been unfounded and the media saturation and ratings speak for themselves – the audience appetite for the show is ravenous.
MasterChef has tapped into the nesting trend perfectly. The effects of the global economic downturn led to an increase in home entertainment, which was spurred along by the rise of celebrity chefs and
Australia’s growing obsession with foodie culture.And while overall retail sales remain flat, grocery sales rose 1.3% as did the advertising spend from most of the top 20 food advertisers with the grocery advertising sector now valued at $340 million, according to Nielsen.
The AdNews Marketing to Grocery Buyers report (pg. 20), looks at the strength of this sector, and its no surprise that MasterChef figures prominently within the report.
As it was put to me recently, MasterChef’s success lies in the format’s brilliant ability to harness the competition of sport, and all the energy and emotion that goes into backing a team (or wannabe chef) in a competition with unpredictable outcomes. It then combines this with the kitchen, attracting a huge female audience, and voila!
The brand has taken on a life of its own, which at this point seems unstoppable, and Coles is along for the ride.
Danielle Long, editor
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