Celebrity-Free Jenny Craig

In what many are saying is a bold move, Jenny Craig has made a statement to go along with their new weight loss campaign:  no more celebrities.  Celebrity endorsers, that is.

What makes this so bold is that the weight loss category is filled with celebrities touting their success on the various programs:  Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Charles Barkley, the infamous Kirstie Alley, and the more recent Valerie Bertinelli.

Is it a sign of the times ... as a culture are we done with celebrities?  Are we no longer motivated by the choices that these celebrities make?  We will no longer look to them as beacons of style and long for their appearance?

I doubt that's the issue.

What I find the most interesting about the decision is the brand's reason behind it:  consumers can't remember which program the celebrity is endorsing.  Even Jennifer Hudson and Valerie Bertinelli who have had millions and millions of media dollars put behind their campaigns.

That's the insight!  So as a result the celebrities end up just promoting weight loss in general, which no brand really needs to fund.  The need is certainly already there in most of us.

So instead Jenny Craig is going to focus on the features of the program, its advantages, and then real women who have been successful.  Here's an article from E! where you can see the new television spot.

It'll be interesting to watch the results.

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post