An article published in the New York Times in August discussed weight loss products using celebrity endorsements. One of the most famous weight loss companies, Jenny Craig, used actress Carrie Fisher to promote their program. Last May, Fisher showed off her 30-pound weight loss in People magazine. However, employing celebrities can be a "double edged sword" (Broddesser-Akner). Weight loss companies take the risk that a celebrity will either be unable to lose the weight or gain the weight after the weight loss program. If this happens, it makes the product look like it doesn't work.
One of the newest celebrity endorsers for Weight Watchers is Jennifer Hudson, who has lost a significant amount of weight. Marie Osmond is also an inspirational success story for Nutrisystem.
Using "regular people" to promote weight loss products doesn't quite have the same effect. Sure we see average people on weight loss commercials on TV, but we don't know if they gain the weight back or if they lost more weight after the ad was aired. Celebrities, on the other hand, play out their weight loss journey under glaring lights. For example, we all remember Jenny Craig spokeswoman Kirstie Alley disrobing on "Oprah" flaunting her new bikini body, only to return to the show dressed more conservatively and considerably heavier.
Some of the companies don't see their celeb endorsers failing on the program harmful to their brand. They insist that it doesn't mean the product doesn't work, it just means that the celebrities aren't sticking to the program.
Works Cited
Brodesser-Akner, Taffy. "When Dieting Becomes a Role to Play." New York Times. 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2011.
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