ASA Adjudication on Weight Watchers (UK) Ltd

Ad

A radio ad, for Weight Watchers, featured two people talking about diets. The first person said "I don't think of Weight Watchers as a diet because I can eat everything." The second said "Yeah, I mean, I thought you had to be really strict for six months and barely eat." The first said "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." The voice-over said "Weight Watchers is changing ... Stop Diets, Start Weight Watchers."

Issue

One listener, a GP, challenged whether the claim "Stop Diets, Start Weight Watchers" misleadingly implied that Weight Watchers' eating plans were not diets, when she understood that the eating plans controlled and restricted food intake and were therefore a type of diet.

BCAP Radio Code

Response

Weight Watchers (WW) said, according to a qualitative research magazine dated February 2007, consumers' perception of dieting was that of a short-term, quick fix solution that required them to restrict their intake of or avoid certain foods.  They believed that perception was fuelled by popular culture, with references to the 'latest diet' often featuring on the cover of popular magazines.  WW quoted a further magazine article, also dated February 2007, that talked about diets as a short-term solution that required restriction but which did not teach consumers how to change their eating habits.  They said a study carried out by a research organisation in March 2007 showed that consumers were struggling to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle, yet were still searching for quick fix diets.  WW believed, in that context, diets did not work because they did not teach consumers to adjust their lifestyle.

By contrast, WW said their organisation had helped consumers learn how to lose weight and keep it off for over 40 years and believed that was evidence of the efficacy of their approach; it offered a healthy lifestyle change not a quick fix solution.  It adopted the "Four Pillars" integrated approach which promoted good eating choices, healthy habits, a supportive environment and exercise.  They added that their approach allowed followers to eat the food they liked, with an emphasis on nutrition, and advised how followers could stay satisfied by choosing to eat food they enjoyed.  They believed their plans were flexible and could be adapted to suit any lifestyle.  WW contrasted their programme against diets that required followers to adhere to rigid rules or omit certain foods altogether.

The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC) said they considered that most listeners were unlikely to regard the claim as materially misleading.  Instead, they believed listeners would infer that WW was not comparable to strict diets where certain foods were banned outright or where only certain types of food were allowed.  RACC said they considered that, when taken together with the statements "I don't think of Weight Watchers as a diet ...", "... I thought you had to be really strict ... and barely eat" and "For me, ... to enjoy myself and not to feel like I'm on a diet", listeners were likely to infer from the claim "Stop Diets, Start Weight Watchers" that WW eating plans allowed followers to eat everything in certain quantities.

Assessment

Upheld

The ASA noted the ad featured two people talking about diets; one stated "I don't think of Weight Watchers as a diet because I can eat everything." and the other stated " ... I thought you had to be really strict for six months and barely eat.".  We considered that some listeners might have been familiar with WW as a dieting organisation but noted the ad also stated "Weight Watchers is changing ...".  We considered that the claim, when coupled with the strapline "Stop Diets.  Start Weight Watchers." could imply that WW was no longer a type of diet.

While we understood from WW that their approach allowed followers to eat the food they enjoyed, albeit in certain quantities, we considered that, in order to lose weight, dieters could not "eat everything" as the ad claimed.  In addition, we noted the first person in the ad said she did not want to feel like she was on a diet.  We nevertheless understood that WW required followers to restrict their food intake in the way that they would on any other weight loss diet.  We therefore concluded that the claim "Stop Diets.  Start Weight Watchers." could mislead.

The ad breached CAP (Broadcast) Radio Advertising Standards Code section 2 rule 3 (Misleadingness).

Action

The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)