The team at ProAppliances, a South Australian-based brand of small appliances and seasonal products, has claimed a great marketing coup: furnishing the upcoming MasterChef series with a cache of new products.
ProAppliances are supplied by Aquaport. The company has a flexible brand strategy whereby for each range of products, the suffix ‘Pro’ is used to denote the brand. For example, its juicer range is ‘JuicePro’, its vacuum sealer range is ‘VacPro’ and its Sous Vide range is ‘Sous Vide Pro’.
For the upcoming MasterChef season, the team has donated 20 sous vide machines, 10 cold press juicers and 10 vacuum sealing machines. Mathew Kiley, national sales manager, was quick to point out this is not a sponsorship deal, though he is hopeful of some strong coverage.
“VacPro, JuicePro and Sous Vide Pro will be used on the popular TV franchise MasterChef, which will see contestants using these appliances during the show,” he said.
“Our ProAppliances range will also be supported in-store by a point-of-sale video that display will be set up next to the products. The video will draw attention to key features and benefits as well as feature a product demonstration.”
An absolutely ratings juggernaut when it debuted on Australian screens in 2009, MasterChef Australia’s popularity has waned somewhat since its zenith: the season 2 finale, in which an Australian record of over 5.7 million people watched Adam Liaw claim victory.
Despite a ratings decline that has seen the series settle to around the 1 million viewers mark, MasterChef has remained a popular choice for appliance marketers, and has been supported in the past by Sunbeam, LG and Ariston.
The 2014 series of MasterChef Australia is expected to return in the second half of the year and will feature popular chef Kylie Kwong in a guest co-hosting role.
“People love the essence of what MasterChef is about: the food,” Channel Ten network programming chief Beverley McGarvey told television news website TV Tonight. “It’s premium and inspirational, and really this show will focus on those values this year.
“We’ve shot the first couple of episodes already and we have an amazing Top 24. Their food skills are spectacular. The quality of the food in Masterchef really determines the quality of the series.”
