Watch the big diet companies and you might think they're playing a game of who can snag the most high-profile celebrity spokesperson. The latest VIP dieters for hire: Charles Barkley, the NBA pro turned TV sportscaster, who tried Weight Watchers on his own and will now be featured in the company's "Lose Like a Man" campaign which starts the day after Christmas, according to the New York Times. Janet Jackson, meanwhile, was revealed today as the new face of Nutrisystem.Continue reading...

It's almost the time of year again for weight-loss brands to make hay while the sun shines. And Jenny Craig is stepping up in a big way.

The leading diet brand is overhauling its approach for the post-holidays weight-loss season, adopting a new, more holistic positioning that goes beyond simple dieting. The brand has begun a relationship with the American Heart Association, supporting local efforts and reaching out to moms over their concerns about childhood obesity.

Jenny Craig has dropped its surname, to go with just "Jenny," and has recruited a slimmed-down Mariah Carey to serve as Jenny's brand icon and celebrity spokesperson.

"'Jenny' has a greater vision," CEO Dana Fiser told brandchannel. "We can do good work. Overweight is, of course, a huge part of the population. And we're concerned about children. We really think with this new brand platform and the American Heart Association that we can help modify behaviors with mothers and also influence the behaviors of children."Continue reading...

With weight-loss season in full swing, nearly every major brand in that category has come up with some new approach to help its clients increase the effectiveness of their dieting. Now it is Jenny Craig’s turn.

And at first glance, the Nestle-owned brand is taking a predictable approach by rolling out a new celebrity weight-loser. Just like Valerie Bertinelli, Nicole Sullivan and others before them, actress Carrie Fisher will be the new face of the Jenny Craig weight-loss program beginning in February.

“I have been on every diet in the world,” Fisher says in her wry new commercials that also comment on her fame. But committing to lose 30 pounds under Jenny Craig’s program has made her “more hopeful now than ever.”

The Star Wars icon tweeted that it's "Wishful Shrinking" (in reference to Wishful Drinking, her one-woman show that was recently presented as an HBO special. Her hiring also made a splash in the UK and beyond. Yet the real news in Jenny Craig’s new program may be how Fisher and other customers will accomplish their weight loss goals.Continue reading...