Weight Watchers Radio Ad Banned
The UK Advertising Standards Authority has ruled that a Weight Watchers radio ad is misleading and "must not be broadcast again in its current form."
Weight Watchers claim their program is "not a diet" - but it seems some people beg to differ (something discussed in detail on this site).
The ad includes a conversation:
"I don't think of Weight Watchers as a diet because I can eat everything." "Yeah, I mean, I thought you had to be really strict for six months and barely eat." "For me, sachets and soups just wouldn't work. My objectives are: not to be hungry, to enjoy myself and not to feel like I'm on a diet." Voiceover: "Weight Watchers is changing ... Stop Diets, Start Weight Watchers."
The ASA ruled the Ad misleading: "We nevertheless understood that WW required followers to restrict their food intake in the way that they would on any other weight loss diet. "
In case you were wondering, the number of complaints received were... one.
More like this in Diets and Media Watch · Feb 25, 2009
9 Comments
Add Your Comment
ADVERTISING
New
- FROM DIET BLOG
- On-Off Fasting: Does It Work?
- 400 Calorie Fix
- 5 Factor World Diet
- Quick Giveaway: Powerhouse Weight Loss Game
- FORUM
- Low Carb Atkins Diet- Tips to Cut the Carbs.
- How Can I Gain a Healthy Weight and Keep it?
- How Do I Eat Healthy at University?
- Starving Myself and Exercising, But Not Losing an Ounce?
Categories
| Body Image Celebrities Diet Pills Diets Exercise |
Fast Food Funny Stuff Success Stories Teens and Kids Tips and Tools |
RSS Feed
Follow @DietBlog on Twitter
Really, the line "I enjoy myself and I don't feel I'm on a diet" is so done to death. If you're counting something (ex. WW points, carbs, fat grams... etc etc.) you're on a diet. Why not just eat what your body is telling you and just be happy with it? I really feel that food is a blessing, not something we should restrict ourself with.
ReplyWell, it IS a diet. Diets don't work for the majority of people -- and WW depends on repeat business to stay solvent. I know there is research that shows that the majority of people on any diet only lose weight for six months and then start regaining -- even if they stick to the diet. I don't think WW should be ashamed that they're a diet -- they exist as a company that supposedly tries to help people lose weight, after all.
ReplyI am looking to purchase the orange caracter in your t.v. adds
ReplyDiet refers to what we eat. We are all on a diet, all of the time.
ReplyAny way of eating is considered a "diet", but I think WW was getting at the fact that their program is more of a lifestyle change than a highly regimented program that involves packaged meals or shakes or whatever. I kind of still eat by the WW guidelines, although I don't really count points very strictly anymore. I guess you COULD treat it as a "diet", where you go on it for a few months until you lose X lbs and then go back to your old habits, but WW is trying to educate people about making responsible diet choices and be able to have a way of eating that they can stick to for life with only minimal effort.
ReplyNot a diet?
Tell that to the 192+ pound WW member(me)consuming, on average, 1350 calories and doing 45-90 minutes of cardio a day.
Or actually don't tell her that. She might punch you! ;)
I remember the first time I saw a WW commercial claiming it wasn't a diet - it made me want to throw things at my TV.
Though lies like the one WW promotes was a primary motivator for my changing careers from IT to Fitness. I'm certainly thankful for that!
ReplyThey can’t prove there is no God, so saying there ‘probably is no God’ cannot be proven.
Reply@Susan: At least in the U.S., people who reach their goal weight can become free "Lifetime" members. Lifetime members attend meetings free of charge -- so there's not much repeat revenue from them (although they might be buying other WW products).
ReplyKarl - "not much repeat revenue" from Lifetime members? Are you kidding? In order to attend for free you have to be within two pounds of your goal and weigh in at least once a month. (I know, because I was there once.) If you don't meet both of those guidelines, even a Lifetime member has to PAY to go back. I went for free until the inevitable happened - I gained - and haven't been back, and won't......I get my support from free sources now, like SparkPeople and my family!
Reply