Weight Watchers and Promotions

PROMOTION Weight Watchers’ promotional strategy exposes audiences to their brand in a wide variety of locations where potential dieters can be found. With the message of “something for everyone,” there is a broad range of platforms utilized to speak to audiences. Promotions are communicated on TV, internet, newsstands, supermarkets, direct mail, email and word of mouth.

Brand advocates are relied on power of their in developing customer loyalty.Word of mouth generated by current and former customers is an important source of new customers. WeightWatchers. com attracts, on average, over 8. 1 million unique visitors per month in the United States alone. It is an important global promotional channel for the brand, services and products and allows Weight Watchers to communicate services and products in greater detail than could be achieved in more traditional advertising vehicles.

In addition to being a gateway for Internet subscription products, the website contributes value to the meetings business by promoting the brand, advertising meetings and keeping members connected outside of meetings through useful offerings, such as a meeting locator, low calorie recipes, weight management articles, success stories and social media functionality. WEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC - WTW Annual Report (10-K ...

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edgar-online. com/weight-watchers-international-inc/10-k-annual-report /2007/02/28/section2. aspxLicensing and endorsement arrangements give Weight Watchers access to weight-conscious consumers and increases brand awareness through products sold at retail such as Weight Watchers frozen dinners and desserts. Another branded platform found in supermarkets and newsstands is the Weight Watchers magazine which has a readership as of fall 2010, of 10. 1 million according to MediaMark Research, Inc. Weight Watchers Magazine reinforces the value of the brand and serves as a tool for marketing to both existing and potential customers.

Promotions targeting returning or former customers are sent through direct mail and mail. Most of these mailings are timed to coincide with the start of other marketing campaigns and are intended to encourage former meetings members to re-enroll. WeightWatchers. com made a substantial investment in developing email targeting capabilities.

Its email promotional programs are an important customer acquisition vehicle for both Internet and meetings businesses. WEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC - WTW Annual Report (10-K ...

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spx Weight Watchers also takes advantage of a range of traditional offline advertising vehicles such as television, radio and print. In addition, WeightWatchers. com has developed a strong capability and presence in Internet advertising. The advertising schedule supports the three key marketing campaigns of the year: winter, spring and fall. WEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC - WTW Annual Report (10-K .

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). Retrieved from http://sec. edgar-online. com/weight-watchers-international-inc/10-k-annual-report /2007/02/28/section2. aspxMany key public relations initiatives are carried out through current and former Weight Watchers leaders, members and subscribers. These leaders, members and subscribers engage in local promotions, information presentations and charity events to promote Weight Watchers and demonstrate the program’s efficacy.

Some become media-trained ambassadors and represent the company in various local public relations activities. Weight Watchers also uses celebrities as ambassadors; the actress and singer Jennifer Hudson is one of the current ambassadors, and a big draw for the brand.Recognizing the influence doctors and others in the medical profession have on diet selection, Weight Watchers began in the winter of 2005 to capitalize on their position as one of only a few clinically proven commercial weight management programs. This has included an increased investment in third-party scientific research, the inclusion of a science center on the WeightWatchers.

com website and increased efforts to share consumer and program insights with leaders in the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public. This may be more related to strategyWEIGHT WATCHERS INTERNATIONAL INC - WTW Annual Report (10-K ... (n.

d. ). Retrieved from http://sec. edgar-online. com/weight-watchers-international-inc/10-k-annual-report /2007/02/28/section2. aspx A core value of the program is community and support of others.

This is demonstrated in group meetings as well as promotional activities. A recent example is the opening of the Weight Watchers Jennifer Hudson Center in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, with a mission to inspire those in the community to adopt healthier lifestyles. The Weight Watchers Jennifer Hudson Center Opens Today in the ...

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prnewswire. com/news-releases/the-weight-watchers-jennifer-hudson-center-opens-today-in-the-stars-hometown-130637813. html Weight Watchers is adept at tying social responsibility to promotions and to the mission of the company. In Canada, Weight Watchers runs a Lose for Good campaign to bring attention to hunger and obesity.

As members shed pounds, Weight Watchers makes donations to local food banks based on the amount of weight lost. -Canadian Newswire This year, Weight Watchers has partnered with Dr. Oz in his season long health challenge, Transformation Nation.By joining forces with Dr. Oz, Weight Watchers is able to tap into the television audience of a highly regarded and viewed “health expert” and by way of association rather than advertising promote the brand.

Audiences receive consistent messages at all contact points. Weight Watchers does not market itself as a diet, but rather as a program which is there to support people in adopting a healthier way to live. The tools and messages provided in meetings, website, apps, TV ads and Weight Watchers magazine, all endorse a holistic approach of health and weight control which can be adapted to anyone’s personal tastes.The promotional mix is varied enough to capture the attention of anyone considering losing weight. Timing and location of promotion is executed well and again engages potential dieters where ever they might be. Major campaigns are executed at times of the year audiences are most likely to consider beginning a diet; fall, a time which is associated with back to school and the beginning of new programs, spring, in anticipation of summer and swimsuit season, and winter, for New Year’s resolutions.

In regards to location, much of the advertising budget is dedicated to online advertising. As noted by Pew Internet & American Life Project (Pew Research Center, 2006), 49% of American internet users obtain diet or nutrition-related information through the internet. Audience insight is demonstrated with a recently developed web based program which targets a population who does not want to or cannot attend meetings. Weight Watchers has also recently launched a program designed specifically for men.For years, men were enrolled in the exact same program as women, with no modification for differing caloric needs or recognition of male preferences and perspectives of dieting. Weight Watchers created a men’s only website and revised point system for male members.

In targeting men, ads appear during televised sporting events, and mobile tools are designed with insights on a male’s attitude and approach to weight loss.