TV host Andy Cohen, more than 150 “Bravolebrities” and tens of thousands of reality TV obsessives are headed to the desert this weekend (Nov. 14-16) for the fourth edition of fan convention BravoCon. The gathering, taking place at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, will also be an opportunity for major marketers to connect with consumers around culture, both in person and via Bravo parent NBCUniversal’s digital channels.
BravoCon launched in 2019 and serves as a fan convention focused on the cable network's reality programming, which includes "Vanderpump Rules," "Southern Charm," "Summer House" and the "Real Housewives" franchise. Bravo remains a ratings powerhouse and is a major component of NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service.
“There's an insatiable appetite for BravoCon, both from the fan perspective and the advertiser perspective,” said Karen Kovacs, president of advertising sales and partnerships at NBCUniversal (NBCU).
At the 2023 BravoCon, brands saw double-digit lifts in brand recall, purchase intent, emotional engagement and other metrics, according to NBCU. After skipping last year, the event is back with 22 new and returning brand sponsors — including State Farm, T-Mobile, Carnival Cruise Line, Hilton, Lexus, Wayfair, Wendy's, Clorox, TJ Maxx and five Unilever brands.
BravoCon is also indicative of how NBCUniversal focuses on the fandoms to which its core viewers belong — especially as it prepares for a February 2026 sports lineup that includes Super Bowl 60, the Winter Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game.
“Whether you're a sports fan or whether you're a Bravo fan, we try to create these immersive, 360-degree experiences, and we focus on the storytelling and really building that deep connection,” Kovacs said. “We are very much about making big events bigger, and part of that is tapping into this deep fandom and anticipation that we know the fans are really feeling as they gear up for the big moments.”
A ‘culture to cart’ approach
Unilever will have a major presence at BravoCon, with five brands — Dove, Nexxus, Shea Moisture, Tresemmé and Vaseline — activating at the event. The partnership speaks to the CPG giant’s “culture to cart” approach, explained Chanté Waters, the head of media strategy, partnerships and measurement for Unilever’s beauty and wellbeing division.
“We've evolved our marketing model to ensure that we're building brands and culture, and that really grounds ourselves in having an eye on frictionless commerce,” the executive said. “It's all about understanding the rhythms that we can connect with our communities and the cohorts that our brands serve, as well as knowing what is capturing their attention and understanding where our brands can connect to drive our business.”
Along with operating on-site activations inclusive of hair styling stations, Unilever’s BravoCon brands appear in a shoppable hero spot that features Bravolebrities. In a 60-second ad, the five Bravo stars run out of their favorite Unilever products on the road to BravoCon, but stumble upon a mirage-like oasis that lets them refresh their hair and makeup before taking a helicopter to Vegas.
“We know brands that are relevant in culture grow much faster,” Waters said. “Consumers really enjoy the content created around their fandom.”
The hero spot is also shoppable, and comes after Unilever tested some of NBCU’s shopping efforts for more than a year. The marketer reports seeing strong ROI when it activates beauty partnerships rooted in commerce, but needed to set the table for its BravoCon efforts with strong creative rooted in fandom.
“It's the balance of the desire of the hero asset itself, and making sure — for those that we know are interested and want to convert — that it's really frictionless for them to be able to purchase our brands,” Waters aid.
The effort also speaks to a renewed commitment to social-first marketing from Unilever, which earlier this year pledged to shift half of its ad spend to social and dramatically boost its influencer work. With its BravoCon campaign, Unilever brought together influencers in a variety of channels, including the Bravo celebs that appear in the spot.
“When we look at social first, it's more of a mindset in a very direct channel allocation, or how we're looking at deploying our spend,” Waters said. “It's that agility and ability to know what are the rhythms in which we can connect with consumers in relevant ways.”
Like a good neighbor
At BravoCon, State Farm will return as a presenting sponsor for the fourth time. The insurance marketer will again activate a “Bravohood” experience, recreating the homes of three of the stars of “Southern Charm,” hosting livestreams and sponsoring panels and a Peacock recap show.
“We've seen a lot of value in that and with our relationship with NBC overall,” said Alyson Griffin, head of marketing at State Farm. “BravoCon has been a really excellent partnership.”
Activating at BravoCon is a way for State Farm to “punch above its weight” and break through with consumers despite being in a category that is not always top of mind. Teaming with “Southern Charm,” which has been airing since 2014, allows the brand to tap into interest around the life events of its stars, from marriages and babies to home ownership and renovations.
“They are doing things that tie very closely to the life stages that State Farm thinks about in markets,” Griffin said. “It's a way for people who are very, very invested in something to then make the connections with our brand in a way that feels natural and real.”
As it does for NBCU and Unilever, activating around consumer fandoms allows State Farm to forge stronger bonds with its target audience. The insurance marketer has done similar work around sports and gaming. While gaming helps the brand make connections with future consumers, BravoCon — with an older, higher income audience — serves its current demand needs.
“We're there not only for awareness and consideration, but also to be top of mind and show that across life insurance, car, home, retirement planning, we have a really broad portfolio of over 100 products,” Griffin said. “This Bravo target is a really important segment for us.”
How State Farm activates at BravoCon differs from how it appeared at last month’s TwitchCon, but its core learnings about fandom remain the same providing a blueprint for how brands can engage with different fandoms. Plus, brand character Jake plays in both scenarios.
“What we do at each changes,” Griffin said. “That's really important for brands: to understand your own brand story and values, so that you can connect properly in the places you decide to show up.”
