In addition to Real Housewives, Bravo wants real men.
The NBCUniversal-owned cable network, among the top rated among women’s channel, will be running a commercial in NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game coverage to kick off a campaign to not only get male viewers to tune in, but to be proud of it.
The pre-game spot features a couple on a couch watching Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, and the guy is very visibly emotionally involved. The slogan: Real Men Watch Bravo.
A second spot, that will have its debut during the Olympics, features a man on an exercise bike at a health club desperately trying to keep up with Top Chef, which is playing on a screen on a nearby bike where a woman is working out.
The network will also be pushing the message out across its digital and social channels.
Maria Laino DeLuca, senior VP, consumer and trade marketing at Bravo, says men are watching more Bravo, particular with the women in their lives.
“Co-viewing is growing exponentially for us,” Laino Deluca said.
So far this year, Bravo is up 8% among men 18-49. And nearly a third of the women 18-49 who watch Top Chef are watching with a male in the household.
The days of men dominating the remote are ending and as women are taking control of what’s on TV, men are catching on to the stories and characters in Bravo shows, she said. “As the female is making some of the programming decisions in the household, they’re starting to realize, wow, there is more to Bravo than I knew.”
Among the Bravo shows with the most co-viewing are Below Deck, Top Chef and Vanderpump Rules.
“We don’t just have shows that feature female ensemble casts. We have shows that have strong male characters, that deal with workplace issues , that deal with relationships and fun and funny moments and friendship and all of that,” Laino DeLuca said. “And I think men are starting to really relate to those characters and are starting to be entertained by them.”
Bravo has found another way to cash in on the men watching the channel. On its Shop by Bravo website, the network started offering a shirt that says Real Men Watch Bravo. It’s become a top seller and more products are in the pipeline.
“We want to continue that conversation and fuel that conversation,” she said.
