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...

Kim Cattrall recently became the celebrity face for Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Advanced Anti-Aging Body Wash."I'm 54, and Olay isn't scared to put a woman of my age up on a poster for their campaign," she commented. "I think that communicates an incredible message for women everywhere." Cattrall and Olay are the exceptions.

Sharon Stone, Raquel Welch, Christie Brinkley, Valerie Bertinelli, Sela Ward, Jaclyn Smith and Kim Basinger are all over 50, and rank at #1-7 on StyleBistro’s list of most beautiful women who are 50 or older.

And yet they are all being passed over and excluded by the beauty industry, according to a recent AARP Media Sales report which found that nearly two-thirds of women in that age group feel forgotten, while 70% don’t identify with beauty products geared towards a younger demo.Continue reading...

As summer follows spring, so diet season follows the holidays. In this new year, major weight-loss program brands are coming out with some makeovers of their own as they vie for the business of helping realize all those new year's resolutions.

Jenny Craig recently launched its biggest program overhaul ever. Metabolic Max, as touted by celebrity endorser Sara Rue, places a greater emphasis on exercise, with an armband and software designed to help clients monitor and increase activity. The changes are based on research that shows that people who self-monitor are more successful in losing weight.

Jenny Craig's new campaign comes on the heels of Weight Watchers revamped Points Plus program, touted by Weight Watchers success story Jennifer Hudson.Continue reading...

If ever there was a product category that has laid claim to celebrities, it is diet programs. Almost without exception, the big name programs – among them Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, and Weight Watchers – rely on celebrity endorsements to pitch weight loss.

More often than not, a celebrity is shown in before and after fashion, going from obviously chunky to deliciously fit. Kirstie Alley, Valerie Bertinelli, Dan Marino, Jenny McCarthy, Marie Osmond, Lynn Redgrave, and Don Shula have done celebrity endorsements for such programs.Continue reading...

The problem with hitching your brand-wagon to a single star is that sometimes that star falls off his or her own wagon (see: Smith, Anna Nicole and TrimSpa). Such is the case with the chain's Jared "The Subway Diet" Fogle.

On December 1, candid photos of the Subway spokesman were picked up from an obscure message board and begin trickling up. By the end of the day, leading US gossip site Perez Hilton was featuring Subway's diet guru and icon looking... very heavy. Chunky, some might say. The schadenfreude of the websites that published the pictures was thick. If Subway brand managers are not in damage control mode at this very minute, they are in deep trouble.

Jared, who claimed to have lost 245 pounds eating Subway sandwiches, has been a Subway spokesman for years now: last year, the brand celebrated its 10th anniversary with him. Subway continues to rely heavily on him as it pitches its offerings as healthier than the competition. This year Jared has appeared with NFL stars such as Reggie Bush and Brady Quinn.Continue reading...