It’s 2015 and time for the same old New Year’s resolutions – packed gyms, fad diet plans, and weight-management advertisements galore. Instead of looking forward, the ad from Weight Watchers looks back…
Weight Watchers released a spot that’s all about the “butt,” and the evolution of one woman’s backside through the years. The ad shows a woman going through the different stages of her life – from birth to slow dancing at prom to getting into her wedding dress – and how her relationship with her butt becomes a struggle. The aha moment: that relationship has nothing to do with her butt and everything to do with her brain. It’s a strong message that can be taken many ways: Weight Watchers wants us to interpret that message to mean that by gaining control over how we eat mentally (with their help), our butts will become something we will be happy with. Alternately, one might say the brain could free us from any preconceived notions about what our butts should look like, leading potential dieters down a different path.
Either way, this is a new approach Weight Watchers: they’ve walked away from celebrity endorsements and are featuring real people on a weight loss journey. It’s projected that only 7% of Americans want to lose weight by using a commercial weight-loss program as consumers have lost interest and are quickly driven by mobile calorie counting apps and 24-hour gym access. This repositioning encourages members to simply have a plan for their body and have a support system for their brain.
I personally was enlightened to see a more realistic and relatable ad coming from WW, since we know celebrities have the luxuries of personal trainers, chefs, and retouching.
~ Jazmine Rodriguez, Account Coordinator, The S3 Agency
