With countless marketing stunts in the past year, promoting everything from cars and video games to wedding programs and bull riding, it was inevitable that Times Square would play host to a live cook-off—even if it was on the rain-soaked day before Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, November 23, Frigidaire held a public cooking competition, dubbed the "Double or Nothing Holiday Challenge," pitting Next Iron Chef contestants Anne Burrell and Geoffrey Zakarian against each other to launch a new double oven range in time for the holiday season.
Set up much like a televised cooking show, the tented stage for the match-up held open-plan kitchens placed side by side. The two chefs were given 20 minutes to complete a Thanksgiving Day meal using the electric appliance from Frigidaire. To further drive awareness and visibility, the brand invited consumers to watch a live stream of the event and vote for their favorite spread on Facebook. Frigidaire also brought in blogger Vera Sweeney to funnel questions posed on social media sites to the chefs and posted a live feed of the event on three Jumbotrons in the surrounding area.
Frigidaire is donating $1 to Save the Children for every vote cast and offering Facebook fans the chance to win a the new oven.
