WeightWatchers joins the Ozempic craze

You know it’s problematic when WeightWatchers has to switch up their marketing strategy to cater to the Ozempic boom.

We live in a world where half the population can’t afford to eat. And the other half are buying weight loss programs and injectables to eat less.

Chat, be honest, are we cooked?

There’s no denying the hold Ozempic and other weight loss medications, or 'GLP-1 drugs' have had on recent society.

Morgan Stanley Research estimates 24 million people, or 7% of the U.S. population could be using such drugs by 2035.

So where does that leave reasonably archaic companies like WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig and Noom? Practically obsolete.

And it shows.

WeightWatchers recently reported a 4% drop in quarterly profits, an 11% decline in sales for the most recent quarter.

They also announced a $100 million annual cost cutting, which includes 40% of its senior executive positions.

Now that’s dropping a few pounds.

This would seemingly mark the demise of its business model and others like it. Unless, of course, they factor in such drugs as a part of their offerings and wider marketing strategy. Which is exactly what 65-year-old company WeightWatchers has done.

Or 'combining traditional behavior change products with long-term medication,' as ex-Meta marketer Christina Kothari says. The brand is initiating a business and brand transformation and rethinking its positioning in a weight loss market upended by the rise of GLP-1 drugs.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?

WeightWatchers now offers a subscription-based program focused of the health and nutrition needs of patients using GLP-1 drugs. Not only that, but the company has also debuted Weight Watchers Clinic. This gives subscribers access to doctors who can prescribe these medications.

The challenge is now to educate consumers on its new offerings. This was the brief WW handed over to advertising giant Ogilvy. The brand wanted to reintroduce the WeightWatchers entire portfolio, with their traditional points system included.

The result?

'Fits You.' A new campaign that features real customers, centered around their personal journeys to reach 'weight health.'

It's clear WW is pushing more personal and humanised stories as it vies for it’s 'new chapter.'

Each video is a testimonial. And each ends by showcasing the four services the brand now offers--points, doctors, medications and dietitians.

My question is, where does it end? Do the program-based businesses merge with GLP-1’s ? Do they take over cosmetic surgery practices like the last infinity stone and create an army of Bella Hadid’s to take over the world?

Only time will tell.

-Sophie, Writer