Designed to Lose Weight

Traditionally, market research has been about force-fitting customers into a demographic category that can be easily explained with charts, graphs, and clinical definitions. This approach is not only distant and disrespectful of the true needs of the individual; it is also alienating to designers. Effective brand innovation marries research with the design process.

A combination of approaches revealed context and relevance in customers' lives.

The Opportunity

Weight Watchers found itself at a strategic crossroads. Changes in health and weight attitudes suggested that their current positioning might not resonate with their customers in the future.

Our Contribution

To address the issue, Cheskin and d/g*, a top brand creation firm, initiated a worldwide collaborative study to understand the underlying benefits people sought from a full range of health and weight control options. The goal was to re-define the category and to reposition the company so it could embody the new definition.

Cheskin and d/g* collaborated on extensive management interviews. Cheskin then utilized a combination of innovative and traditional methods to understand what was relevant to customers in the context of their daily lives.

The Result

Our work provided d/g* with a customer-centered basis for repositioning Weight Watchers and ensuring that the company's identity communicates its ability to deliver the benefits customer seek.