Weight Watchers sues Jenny Craig over 'deceptive' ads
Posted: 20/01/2010 at 07:27pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness
Weight Watchers is suing rival weight-loss company Jenny Craig over ads it says are misleading and deceptive.
According to the lawsuit filed yesterday in Manhattan, Jenny Craig falsely claimed in a television commercial that "a major clinical trial" shows its clients on average lost more than twice as much weight as "those on the largest weight loss program," a reference to Weight Watchers.
Weight Watchers says no such ‘clinical trial’ has been done and the claims in the ads are not supported by fact or science.
New York-based Weight Watchers is seeking to halt the ad campaign and to force Jenny Craig to run corrective advertising, give up improper profits and pay punitive damages, amongst other asks.
Jenny Craig, part of Switzerland's Nestle AG, had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, no doubt racking their brains as to how best handle the public relations disaster this could possibly become.
If no such trial ever took place as is depicted in the ad, which is according to the lawsuit; designed to "capitalise on this crucial consumer dieting season", Jenny Craig could do more harm than good to the brand, and provide reams of unexpected media attention for Weight Watchers – again, no doubt something WW’s PR team have their eye on achieving.
Here's the commercial in question below - notice the hugely stereotypical 'lab geek' behind the irritatingly chirpy Valerie Bertinelli!
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