National Weigh-In Day

Yesterday was National Weigh-In Day ... we all hit the scales to see how much we need to lose in the next couple of months.  If you hadn't noticed, then you must have been away on holiday because we've been bombarded with weight loss messaging constantly on television, online, and in social media.  It's been a non-stop "cutting calories" scream fest in marketing.

Now this is nothing new.  January 1st is the start of weight loss season every single year as every brand works hard to get us to join their "movement."  We're hearing from the weight loss systems, from all of the gyms, and of course from the food companies as well. 

To some extent it works ... did you see the crowds at the gym yesterday?

Most of the brands are pretty motivating, I must say.  I've been personally planning my start of the season for a few weeks now and find all the activity to be quite inspirational.  All the hoopla becomes a part of pop culture and gets me in the spirit.

I ate really well yesterday and spent a little longer at the gym than normal.  It's a habit that I intend to keep up ... at least until swim suit season!

I particularly like the messaging this year coming from the food brand Special K. 

Full disclosure here in that I've been a fan for years and have also worked on the brand ... Special K is a mega-brand for all the reasons I love branding.  The brand carved out a unique positioning and created an emotional connection in the cereal category like no other.  So much so that it allowed the brand to expand easily into other categories with the same kind of motivating spirit

"What Will You Gain?" is the brand's message this year and it's all about how your life can change, presumably when you lose the weight you've been wanting to lose.

"What Will You Gain?" shows people how they can gain confidence, sexuality, spirit, etc when they are looking and feeling healthy.  "What Will You Gain?' is the perfect message to come from a food company, especially one that has continuously inspired us through the years.  "What Will You Gain?' is a truly integrated messaging platform that combines television advertising with social and online media to engage the brand's core target.  "What Will You Gain?" takes it out of weight loss and into a more holistic look at life, right in sync with pop culture at the moment.

Are you kick starting the season?  What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
Author, The Experience Effect series
Marketing Professor, NYU