1. Trace how you might go through the steps in the consumer decision process if you were thinkingof going on a diet and using any of these diet programs. At each stage discuss how thesemarketers are currently attempting to influence you. (5 points)2. How have Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Slim-Fast created value? Your book defines valueto mean “the relationship of benefits to costs” (page 13). Please make sure that you address thekey benefits and costs associated with each program. (5 points)3.a. Identify the determinant attributes that set Weight Watchers’, Jenny Craig’s, and Slim-Fast’sprograms apart from each other. (Please make sure that you read what is meant by adeterminant attribute.) Use those attributes to develop a compensatory purchasing model likethe one found in Exhibit 6.2. The weights that you assign represent your own perceptions ofthe importance of each attribute. Explain your logic for the weights and explain thedifferences in the scores of the three plans for each of the determinant attributes. (5 points)b. Provide two specific implications your model has for a marketer and support your implicationsusing your model. Do you see any evidence of any of the three marketers taking your twoimplications into account? If so how? (5 points)4. Which factors examined in the chapter do you think would have the most impact on consumers’propensity to go on a diet and choose either of these diet programs? Please make sure that youranswer includes at least one factor from each of the three categories mentioned in Exhibit 6.4(psychological, situational, and social). How do these plans address these specific factors? (5points)5. How has mobile technology impacted consumers’ behavior to help them achieve their weightgoals? How are these companies reacting to these trends? (5 points)
13.png
12.png
6.4.png
mkt3100_extra_credit_assignment___instructions.pdf
mkt3100_extra_credit_assignment___the_diet_battle.pdf
Unformatted Attachment Preview
MKT 3100 Principles of Marketing
Extra Credit Assignment
THE DIET BATTLE: WEIGHT WATCHERS, JENNY CRAIG, AND SLIM-FAST
Due on March 20, 2019
Instructions
•
First read the case “The Diet Battle: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Slim-Fast” and then
answer the following questions about it. The objective of the case method is to help develop
skills in critical thinking. You are expected to use information from many sources (the case itself,
text book, lecture notes, and mainly outside references) to address the questions, and cite these
sources accordingly. You should visit the websites for each program and use current information
to address these questions.
This assignment is worth up to 30 extra points towards your exam 1 grade, based on the quality
of your answers. Thus, your grade for exam 1 will be updated to reflect the additional points after
grading.
Please submit a report of 4-5 pages (double-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch page margins on all
sides) by emailing me directly (at [email protected]) by March 20 end-of-day.
•
•
Questions
1.
Trace how you might go through the steps in the consumer decision process if you were thinking
of going on a diet and using any of these diet programs. At each stage discuss how these
marketers are currently attempting to influence you. (5 points)
2. How have Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Slim-Fast created value? Your book defines value
to mean “the relationship of benefits to costs” (page 13). Please make sure that you address the
key benefits and costs associated with each program. (5 points)
3.
a. Identify the determinant attributes that set Weight Watchers’, Jenny Craig’s, and Slim-Fast’s
programs apart from each other. (Please make sure that you read what is meant by a
determinant attribute.) Use those attributes to develop a compensatory purchasing model like
the one found in Exhibit 6.2. The weights that you assign represent your own perceptions of
the importance of each attribute. Explain your logic for the weights and explain the
differences in the scores of the three plans for each of the determinant attributes. (5 points)
b. Provide two specific implications your model has for a marketer and support your implications
using your model. Do you see any evidence of any of the three marketers taking your two
implications into account? If so how? (5 points)
4. Which factors examined in the chapter do you think would have the most impact on consumers’
propensity to go on a diet and choose either of these diet programs? Please make sure that your
answer includes at least one factor from each of the three categories mentioned in Exhibit 6.4
(psychological, situational, and social). How do these plans address these specific factors? (5
points)
5. How has mobile technology impacted consumers’ behavior to help them achieve their weight
goals? How are these companies reacting to these trends? (5 points)
THE DIET BATTLE: WEIGHT WATCHERS, JENNY CRAIG, AND SLIM-FAST1
Want to lose weight? For about 71 million Americans and approximately 73 percent of all U.S. women,
the answer is yes,2 and for weight loss companies, that’s the right answer. The weight loss industry, worth
over $60 billion in 2010,3 is growing steadily because lifestyles and food choices keep working against
people’s desire to lose weight. Many Americans spend their days sitting in front of a computer and their
evenings sitting in front of a television. Restaurant meals, prepared foods, and high-fat/high-sugar snacks
have replaced home-cooked meals, whole grains, and fresh produce. Exercise is limited to clicking a
mouse or turning an ignition key. These habits are fattening (both literally and figuratively) the profits for
the weight loss industry as well as expanding belt sizes. By the time we factor in diet pills, specially
packaged weight-loss meals and snacks, diet programs, and the whole range of products and services
promising bathing-suit bodies, we’ve got a highly lucrative market.
Page 6-4
Three recognized diet aid behemoths, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Slim-Fast, share a substantial
piece of the pie. These companies stress flexibility to fit a wide range of lifestyles and showcase success
stories. But they approach dieting differently in their quest for new members.
THE BIG THREE
Founded in 1963, Weight Watchers International now boasts groups in more than 30 countries worldwide.
The program teaches portion control and the basics of good nutrition, allowing members to select their
own foods. A point system, based on nutritional value, encourages members to select healthy foods,
exercise appropriately, and control portions. 4 Dieters record meals and snacks in a paper or electronic
journal. Although members can follow the Weight Watchers regimen without support, the company notes
that the most successful members are those who weigh in at weekly group sessions and attend meetings.
Weight Watchers members can prepare their own food, dine out, or purchase Weight Watchers–prepared
or –endorsed dinners, snacks, and desserts at most grocery stores. To further support dieters in making
healthy food choices, Weight Watchers recently changed its point system, increasing the number of
points for fat content and reducing them for fiber. 5
Recently rated the top weight loss program by Consumer Reports Health, Jenny Craig promises a unique
and comprehensive plan for food, body, and mind. 6 Members eat meals and snacks prepared and
packaged by Jenny Craig, supplemented by fresh fruits and vegetables. Jenny Craig’s offerings provide
portion control and accommodate busy schedules by reducing meal prep time. Members meet weekly on
a one-on-one basis with a personal counselor and are encouraged to develop an exercise program. Like
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig offers customized programs for men and teenagers and for those who
prefer to lose weight on their own rather than travel to a center. Jenny Craig lapped Weight Watchers and
other diet programs in the Consumer Reports Health ranking because of members’ success in weight
loss, the duration of time they remained committed to the program, and the nutritional value of the foods. 7
Slim-Fast, which ranked second in the Consumer Reports Health ratings, offers dieters a combination of
three small and healthy snacks, two meal-replacement shakes, and one 500-calorie meal daily.8 By
eating six small meals daily, dieters maintain steady glucose levels, and the plan ensures adequate
intakes of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. 9
Other diet programs abound, but even when people lose weight on these regimens, the losses tend to be
temporary because the diets are based on unsustainable eating patterns, such as eliminating major food
groups (e.g., no carbohydrates). Two of the big diet companies also offer social reinforcement and
flexibility, which appears to help people remain committed to their weight-loss programs.
DEFINING THE DIFFERENCE
Perhaps the most significant difference among Jenny Craig, Slim-Fast, and Weight Watchers is the
amount of effort required. Jenny Craig dieters don’t have to think about what they eat; everything is
prepared for them. Dieters on the Weight Watchers plan must learn how to make the right choices from
among the foods that surround them in their daily lives. Slim-Fast combines both ease and education, but
it provides fewer choices for controlled meals than Jenny Craig does. Each program competes heavily for
members, particularly in the early months of the year, when Americans return to the scales after indulging
over the holidays.
The diet giants are locked in another battle as well, this one targeted at men. 10 Although a completely
different program isn’t necessary—both genders need to cut calories and increase exercise to lose
weight—marketing specifically to men has the power to bring in new members.
While the Weight Watchers’ programs are identical for men and women, the men’s website is tailored to
their interests and concerns, focusing more on working out and less on the eating plan. The men’s site
also mentions the link between obesity and erectile dysfunction, implying that a man’s sex life might
improve if he loses weight.
To entice men in its program, Jenny Craig uses Jason Alexander, the actor who played George Costanza on the TV
series Seinfeld, as a spokesperson (pictured with another Jenny Craig spokesperson, Valerie Bertanelli, teenage TV
star from the late 70s of One Day at a Time and Touched by an Angel.)
Page 6-5
Jenny Craig’s men’s program also is very similar to its women’s program, but tweaked, to accommodate
differences in food cravings and issues with portion control. Men on this program, Jenny Craig promises,
can still have a beer and fries once in a while. To further entice men to its program, Jenny Craig uses
Jason Alexander, the actor who played George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, as a
spokesperson.
The Slim-Fast program tends to appeal to men because they like to lose weight on their own rather than
participating in group meetings.11 The company has used male celebrities, including a former New York
mayor, to sell its products.
TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT FOR DIETERS
Dieters have a variety of electronic devices to help track food consumption and exercise. Using any
Internet-ready device, Weight Watchers members can check points values for foods, including meals at
popular restaurants, and add snacks or meals to their daily journal. Similar services and applications for
fitness training are available via cell phone applications. Using a camera-equipped cell phone, for
example, dieters can photograph a meal and send the picture to a registered dietitian, who replies with
recommendations for modifying portions or food choices. Theoretically this approach is more honest than
keeping a food diary because dieters may be tempted not to record full amounts. These services require
additional fees though.
Questions
1. Trace how you might go through the steps in the consumer decision process if you were thinking of
going on a diet and using any of these diet programs.
2. How have Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, and Jenny Craig created value?
3. Identify the determinant attributes that set the Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, and Jenny Craig
programs apart. Use those attributes to develop a compensatory purchasing model similar to the
one in Exhibit 6.2.
4. How can Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, and Jenny Craig increase the probability of customer
satisfaction?
5. Which factors examined in this chapter might have the most impact on consumers’ propensity to go
on a diet and choose one of these diet programs?
…
Purchase answer to see full
attachment
