Weight Watchers will from next month ditch its name and rebrand as “WW” as it takes on competition from fitness trackers and phone apps and attempts to remould itself as a lifestyle tech brand.
Behind the relaunch is concern that the long-term effectiveness of diet plans is on the wane, while health and wellness are now in vogue. The US-listed firm wants to broaden its appeal and keep subscribers signed up by moving beyond a short-term diet fix to become a credo to live by, with an app that it hopes users will check as frequently as Facebook or Instagram.
“Wellness is a journey and there are more elements to that than diet,” said Mindy Grossman, the chief executive, who said the rebrand was the latest phase of a change in mindset she has pushed forward since joining the company last summer. “The idea is to inspire people to be more motivated and stay committed for longer.”
In a bid to recast itself as a “technology experience company”, Weight Watchers is improving the social media side of its app so that likeminded groups, such as mothers or yoga fans, can connect. It is also working on a voice-activated version of its app that will enable subscribers to check their points using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
The company is rejigging its range of ready meals to remove artificial sweeteners, flavours, colours and preservatives and updating the points scheme used by its 4.5 million subscribers to manage their progress to encourage different kinds of healthy activities.
A new rewards scheme will also enable subscribers to win fitness lessons, healthy foods, concerts or a WW cruise, which will launch in Europe next year.
The company, founded in the early 1960s, is also tapping into the popularity of US meditation and mindfulness app Headspace, which has become a partner offering tips and mental exercises through the Weight Watchers app.
The changes are the latest effort to maintain momentum after a dramatic reappraisal of the brand triggered by Oprah Winfrey’s purchase of a 10% stake in 2015 when Weight Watchers was losing thousands of members.
Winfrey’s patronage has helped the company bounce back with more than two years of sales growth under its belt. In the last quarterly report, Weight Watchers said sales were up nearly 18% on the year before and operating profits up nearly 30%.
Shares in Weight Watchers have soared from under $5 (£3.83) each in 2015 to $70 in recent trading, although they have fallen back from highs of above $100 on concern over revenue growth.
Grossman says she is achieving her aim of broadening the appeal of Weight Watchers, beyond its heartland of 35-plus women. She said in the three months to the end of June the company had 28% more subscribers compared to the same period a year before, more than 40% of whom were new to Weight Watchers.
“We are committed to always being the best weight management programme on the planet, but now we’re putting our decades of knowledge and expertise in behavioural science to work for an event greater mission,” says Grossman, who took charge last summer.
