Much of the credit for Bravo’s success goes to a pair of women at the top, Frances Berwick, EVP/GM, Bravo Media, and Lauren Zalaznick, President, Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, NBC Universal. Zalaznick, the whip-smart New Yorker who now runs NBCU’s stable of women and lifestyle brands, ran the channel before handing it over to Berwick, her British-born head of programming she promoted to top spot in 2008.

Lessons learned from Queer Eye became Bravo’s enduring “passion points” summarized as FFBDPC: Food, Fashion, Beauty, Design and Pop Culture. Around these tentpoles, Bravo created breakthrough franchises including Project Runway, Real Housewives, Top Chef, and newer series including The Rachel Zoe Project, Shear Genius and Flipping Out. Each hit became a jumping off point for subsequent extensions and the combination of docudrama and competition successfully bridged audience divides of gay-straight, urban-heartland, and even older-younger as the core demographic remains a solid 18-49.

Most of Bravo’s shows feature egocentrics, but their excellence at something – be it design, shopping or cooking – allows a connection with an audience hungry for what Ellen Stone, Bravo's senior vice-president for marketing, calls, “a sheen of glamour. Our programming combines high quality production, ‘relatability,’ and creativity. Our audience likes attitude and expects humor and sophistication on our network, not angst-ridden drama.” During its recent upfront presentation to U.S. media buyers, Bravo offers “brand czars” – accomplished, real people from whom we can learn real-life skills. “Bravo stars fulfill the aspirational mind-set of viewers. Our brand is based on consumer’s needs – and they tell us how far to go,” says Stone.

“Innovation and freshness are core to our DNA and we are a buzz marketer. Bravo is a conversation catalyst. We provide water-cooler programming, of the moment, with one eye on mainstream and the other on trends,” continues Stone. “We’re a lifestyle – not a TV – brand, and everything we do has ‘virality.’”

Bravo is ultra-invested in digital media, and its live, multiplatform social media “Talk Bubble,” scored record highs during The Real Housewives of New York City this season. Bravo recently partnered with Foursquare on a promotion that has had more than 10,000 viewers "unlock" badges by checking in at locations linked to Bravo shows. "It's such a unique way to talk to our audience at a local level," says Stone.

Bravo's digital team is launching an online ‘pay-to-attend’ culinary academy for chef ‘wannabes,’ dubbed Top Chef University with a culinary training via 200 video lessons.

It was Frances Berwick who coined the term “affluencer” as a shorthand for the highly desirable advertiser demographic that is Bravo’s loyal and growing audience. It’s the #10 and fastest growing cable net among women 18-49, and recently garnered 12 Emmy nominations, wins from GLAAD, The Producers Guild, Mobile Excellence Awards, and the NAACP.

In a time of economic hardship, some may question the wisdom of touting affluence as part of the brand’s positioning. Stone’s take on it; “It’s not an issue. Our shows reflect the times. We take an anthropological look in our docudramas. Case in point, when Jeff Lewis on Flipping Out changed from flipping houses to interior design. Or when Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Jeana Keough faced foreclosure, we just included it in the show.”

Berwick believes the Bravo Affluencer moniker is spot on for the times: “Our program development is laser-focused on the sweet spot where educated, upscale, engaged consumers and our five passion points intersect. Then we provide them with tools to spread the word to others.”

As for the advertising community, Bravo’s ‘cream-of-the-crop’ approach has attracted lucrative sponsorships. “Advertisers,” says Mediaweek, “are sweet on Bravo’s super-sticky environment.”

For instance, in 2009 Bravo partnered with Quaker Oats around Top Chef created the Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge. Finalists competed by preparing an original dish using Quaker Oats and winner had the chance to attend a Top Chef episode. The ad campaign for this event garnered an 87% higher brand recall on Bravo than on any other cable program, and a 56% higher likeability factor.

Top Chef Masters sponsor Toyota upgraded its focus to Lexus, providing winners with $10,000 for the charities of their choice, and sponsoring online features "Top Chef Masters Recipe Finder" and "Rate the Plate." Glad Products, Stella Artois, Diet Dr. Pepper, and Butterball all passed muster after being subjected to Bravo’s stringent ‘brand filter’ for integrated product placement.

Several new ‘brand extensions’ are in the offing, at least one or two for every five ‘passion points.’ True to its roots, Bravo is developing two Top Chef spin-offs: Just Desserts and Top Dish to continue flanking its foodie theme. As Ash Fulk commented at the Top Chef New York Tour event, “When people say they are self-taught, that’s absurd. No one is self-taught – we learn from each other.”

Bravo to Bravo for developing a clear brand with an enduring focus to create engaging entertainment that transcends and transforms television.

Sheila Shayon is a senior media executive with 25+ years in television and new media including expertise in programming, production, broadband, start-up models, creative and branding strategies, digital content and social networking. Shayon has worked for HBO, Time Warner Cable and Wisdom Television. She graduated Magna Cum Laude, University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication. Currently, as President/Founder of Third Eye Media, a New York-based multimedia production company, Shayon works with online brands to combine editorial content and social networking applications.