- Weight Watchers debuted its first work from Ogilvy fresh off of naming the WPP shop its global creative agency of record, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The campaign, “Fits You,” goals to interrupt the weight-loss narrative of tying health to a single number. Ads directed by C Prinz highlight testimonials from real Weight Watchers users, who emphasize perks of the platform, like the flexibility to attach with clinicians.
- The creative agency switch up follows a period of turbulence for the brand amid the rise of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. Oprah Winfrey, who acted as a public face for the corporate for years, departed its board after nearly a decade earlier this 12 months.
Weight Watchers has experienced volatility as weight-reduction plan culture comes under sharper scrutiny and more consumers turn to blockbuster medications that aid with weight reduction, such as Ozempic and Wegovy. The company began offering anti-obesity drugs, known as GLP-1s, late last 12 months, around the identical time Oprah revealed to People magazine that she had began taking an unspecified weight-loss medication.
New commercials within the “Fits You” campaign from Ogilvy feature a customer who describes using a combination of Weight Watchers programming and weight-loss drugs available through Weight Watchers Clinic to attain life-changing results. Ogilvy announced the AOR appointment late last week. Gut Miami previously handled the brand’s creative, though that relationship lasted lower than a 12 months.
Oprah’s resignation from Weight Watchers’ board, a call she claims was made to avoid a conflict of interest, has dealt a serious blow to the business. Along with serving on the board for nearly 10 years, the talk-show icon was its long-standing public champion, appearing in ad campaigns that helped drive up subscriber numbers.
“Fits You” refreshes Weight Watchers’ marketing approach as it vies for a new chapter. Messaging is supposed to challenge conventional weight-loss narratives and avoid associating overall health with the one number of somebody’s weight, as a substitute pushing more personal stories. Weight Watchers is well-known for a points system that helps users track what they’re eating in relation to their weight-loss goals.
Weight Watchers previous attempts to market its push into GLP-1s have been met with some controversy. The brand sponsored a GLP-1 house for influencers earlier this 12 months that received social media backlash, including parody videos, Bloomberg reported.
Weight Watchers’ stock began trading below $1 earlier this month after the corporate missed Wall Street’s expectations on revenue within the second quarter and cut its full-year guidance. The brand, which also does business as WW International, saw revenue drop 10.9% 12 months over 12 months to $202.1 million in Q2 while subscribers declined 6.1% YoY. Weight Watchers within the earnings report announced a restructuring plan that goals to chop costs by $100 million annually.
“With a rapidly changing landscape, we’re taking decisive actions to navigate through this environment and completely reimagining how we operate,” said CEO Sima Sistani in an announcement attached to the earnings report. “We are executing a big streamlining of our operational structure, to focus and execute against our strategic pillars to expand care, expand access, and expand payment options for our members.”
Read the complete article here
