Jan
20
Second only to an interview with Lance Armstrong, the next least believable thing on TV are weight loss commercials. Manipulated before/after shots, exaggerated or false claims, and unrealistic promises have been used by diet marketers for years, but these advertisements can also be considered unethical for what they leave out. In the case of Jessica Simpson and Weight Watchers, it was her entire body minus her face.
In her September 2012 spot entitled Choices made 4 months after starting the program, Simpson, a singer who in recent years has filmed more informercials than she has music videos, announces “it’s working”. However her words are no more convincing than her sister Ashlee‘s lip synching, because she makes the claims without showing the world the evidence that lay just below her neck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIZPftTjbg
What was she hiding? Perhaps showing the new mother’s figure would have shown viewers that, as is the case with regular dieting, Weight Watchers may not be effective for everyone.
Another ethical issue comes to mind when one sees Jessica’s next commercial, in which she announces she has lost 50 pounds. While this may be the case, what isn’t mentioned is that Simpson was helped by high-dollar fitness trainers and nutritionists, something the average consumer does not have access to. In the ad, the former Pizza Hut and Proactiv spokeswoman also announces that she is pregnant, making her endorsement even less relevant since, according to the fine print, pregnant women are not eligible to join.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UxbTnr1Fw0k
Jessica Simpson’s Weight Watchers experience may not be a big fat lie, but one must cut through some fat to get the whole truth.
Comments
1 Comment so far
This is very true and unfortunately not often touched upon. These celebrity endorsers have access to multiple other sources to help speed up their weight loss process putting a misleading and unrealistic image in the everyday consumer’s mind. Could this potentially backfire for the company when consumers are unsatisfied with the reality after joining a similar program? Really enjoyed this post, good points made while hinting at the ironic and humorous nature behind these ads.