Bravo Really Wants To Sell You Some Stuff

If you thought the product placement on Bravo was bad, it’s about to get a lot worse. LA Times reports that along with their new slogan (from “Watch What Happens” to “By Bravo”) the network will attempt to become a retailer. First stop, NYC Prep, who will feature co-branded bags with handbag company Kooba.

This is a natural progression for Bravo and you can see how they’ve been slowly testing it out in the past few months with promotions like the Quaker Oats Challenge on Top Chef and by selling the winning Fashion Show designs on the Bravo website.

There were also several “shopping” episodes on the Real Housewives of Orange County that appeared late last year that were produced in conjunction with SeenOn, a website that lets you buy products you’ve seen on TV. The housewives are no strangers to these kinds of tie-ins: how many times have we seen them go shopping at Intermix or go out of their way to talk about what restaurant they were going to? Now that I think about it, this was probably the reason Bagdley Mishka, Jill Stuart, and Malo got so much attention on last season’s Real Housewives of New York City.

My guide in all things fashionable, Fashion Orbit, questions if you, the viewers will pay more for items if they are shown on television. Or, is this the only way such pricey items will be able to survive? A Kooba handbag for example, retails for about $600.00.

[LA Times via Fashion Orbit ]