Weight Watchers seems to be making a play to reinvent itself in 2018 signing DJ Khaled as a social media ambassador.
The move sent Weight Watchers shares soaring up as much as 7.3% on Tuesday and follows the signing of Oprah Winfrey two years ago.
The music producer and internet personality says he lost 20 pounds on the program and is touting it to his legions of followers - 3.4 million on Facebook, 3.92 million on Twitter, 8.9 million on Instagram and a reported three to four million views for his Snapchat posts with hashtag #WWFreestyle.
The short clip is part of the company’s upcoming ad campaign.
https://twitter.com/djkhaled/status/947903438159073280
Signing DJ Khaled is a bold move for the brand, which in the past has worked with primarily female celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Jessica Hudson, Sarah Ferguson and most recently Winfrey.
He is an edgier choice than previous Weight Watchers ambassadors, rising to fame through his viral content shared through Snapchat, and being synonymous with meme culture.
Winfrey has been the driving force behind the resurgence of Weight Watchers in the last two years. Her tweets as well as presence in the company’s ads is credited with helping drive subscriber growth after years of decline.
https://twitter.com/WeightWatchers/status/945655767117516800
In 2017 shares surged 287% and for the first time in six years, the brand posted an annual gain.
Winfrey and DJ Khaled are both touting the #WWFreestyle campaign, which is designed to give users more flexibility about what they can eat.
Locally, Weight Watchers had an epic PR fail sending female journalists a 'mood light' to facilitate confidence in the bedroom.
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