Okay, I admit it: I watch “Project Runway.” Religiously. I watch the show’s finale with my wife with the same enthusiasm that I reserve for Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Since the show’s second season, Alberto-Culver’s Tresemmé hair-care brand had been written into the show.
I was shocked when I read that Alberto-Culver decided not to stay with “Project Runway” as it struts from Bravo to Lifetime. David Kroll, vice president for U.S. marketing for the shampoo maker, says that the relationship was getting “a little bit stale.” So instead of following “Project Runway,” Alberto-Culver is now all-in on Bravo’s new show, “The Fashion Show.” And all-in for Alberto-Culver is a lot of chips: According to TNS Media Intelligence, the company spent $49.5 million last year on advertising.
As a “Project Runway” fan, this seems like a risky bet to me. Viewers are loyal to the show; the show is the brand, not Bravo. I watched David Letterman for years on NBC, and when he moved to CBS I followed. Likewise, I’ll watch “Project Runway” on Lifetime. Oh, heck, I’d watch it on Animal Planet.
Admittedly, I am not in Tresemmé’s target audience; I am not a 20-something woman who is into beauty, fashion and popular culture. I’m a 40-something man who wears a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap on most days. But if I’m right, they’ll have a lot more than just a bad hair day to worry about.
Commentary from the BigFatMarketingBlog.com
