Two months ago I was working out at my gym, a gym which has multi televisions with the sound off around the place. I saw a commercial for Jenny Craig featuring, of course, Kirstie Alley. In it, Ms. Alley is surrounded by life-size cardboard cutouts of herself at her highest weight. Some of the cutouts are blowups of tabloid shots where she's making the most awful faces. As the commercial progresses, Alley knocks over the cutouts, then the camera closes in on her new, smaller figure.
Even without the sound, it bugged me. I went home, did a bit of research and wrote the following:
Cozette Phifer
Jenny Craig, Inc.
5770 Fleet Street
Carlsbad, CA 92008
October 25, 2005
Dear Ms. Phifer,
I was disturbed by the Jenny Craig commercial I saw in between todays segments of The View. In the commercial, spokeswoman Kirstie Alley is surrounded by lifesize cutouts of herself when she was heavier. Eventually she knocks the cardboard cutouts over.
The message isnt one of empowerment, and doesnt celebrate the elation that happens initially when a person loses weight. The message is that the old Kirstie is to be bashed, knocked over.
Isnt that what many people without weight issues want to do to fat people? Knock them over, bash them verbally, judge them, mock them? You have accomplished all this in a single commercial.
I dont like it.
Everyone knows losing weight is easy. It's keeping it off that's challenging.
If Kirstie Alley wants to be a spokesperson for weight loss, lets get her on television in a year, two years, five years, to see if shes kept the weight off through five Thanksgivings and Christmases, five years of living with the stress and ups and downs of life, five years at the gym, week in, week out, and dealing with food available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lets see her when there isnt any money or fame being offered for weight loss.
I have forwarded a copy of this letter to Bill Geddie at Barwall Productions. (The co-producer, along with Barbara Walters, of "The View")
I am going to refrain from watching The View as long as the commericals for Jenny Craig with Kirstie Alley are running.
Sincerely,
Josh M, etc.
I received the following stock response:
Thank you for taking the time to write Jenny Craig, Inc.
We do listen to and consider every call and message we receive.
Although we hope everyone enjoys our new commercials, we know that it isn't
possible to please everyone - all the time. We appreciate the fact that
Kirstie Alley, a comedic actress, speaks her mind in an honest and open
manner and the humor she uses to convey the frustration of being overweight.
Our new ad campaign is designed to reflect Kirstie's straight-forward sense
of humor and to contain words she actually uses in conversation. Kirstie's
weight loss journey is very real for her, therefore, we want the ads to
reflect the real Kirstie as much as possible.
We are sorry that you find the ad to be offensive and would hope you can see that our sensible approach to weight loss, 21-year heritage in the industry and millions of clients worldwide would demonstrate how serious we are about the issue of weight management. Hopefully, you've seen our other ad campaign that ran the past two weeks. It is comprised of real women with real weight loss stories speaking with their own words about our company.
You will see those serious, heartfelt commercials interspersed with Kirstie's commercials throughout the year. We hope this strategy will appeal to both people who respond to seriousness and to those who appreciate Kirstie's humor.
Sincerely,
Customer Care
So be it, says I to myself, and moved on to other matters.
Today at the gym, however, it occurred to me I hadn't seen that particular Jenny Craig commercial since I wrote the letter(s). There are other commercials with Alley, but not that one.
I have heard that for every letter a company gets, there are perhaps thousands more who feel the same way but who haven't the wherewithal to sit and pen a letter of complaint. Perhaps my drop in what must be a stream of criticism (people tend to write when they are annoyed, rather than pleased) did something.
Either way, it's off the air as far as I can tell.
Good.
Even without the sound, it bugged me. I went home, did a bit of research and wrote the following:
Cozette Phifer
Jenny Craig, Inc.
5770 Fleet Street
Carlsbad, CA 92008
October 25, 2005
Dear Ms. Phifer,
I was disturbed by the Jenny Craig commercial I saw in between todays segments of The View. In the commercial, spokeswoman Kirstie Alley is surrounded by lifesize cutouts of herself when she was heavier. Eventually she knocks the cardboard cutouts over.
The message isnt one of empowerment, and doesnt celebrate the elation that happens initially when a person loses weight. The message is that the old Kirstie is to be bashed, knocked over.
Isnt that what many people without weight issues want to do to fat people? Knock them over, bash them verbally, judge them, mock them? You have accomplished all this in a single commercial.
I dont like it.
Everyone knows losing weight is easy. It's keeping it off that's challenging.
If Kirstie Alley wants to be a spokesperson for weight loss, lets get her on television in a year, two years, five years, to see if shes kept the weight off through five Thanksgivings and Christmases, five years of living with the stress and ups and downs of life, five years at the gym, week in, week out, and dealing with food available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lets see her when there isnt any money or fame being offered for weight loss.
I have forwarded a copy of this letter to Bill Geddie at Barwall Productions. (The co-producer, along with Barbara Walters, of "The View")
I am going to refrain from watching The View as long as the commericals for Jenny Craig with Kirstie Alley are running.
Sincerely,
Josh M, etc.
I received the following stock response:
Thank you for taking the time to write Jenny Craig, Inc.
We do listen to and consider every call and message we receive.
Although we hope everyone enjoys our new commercials, we know that it isn't
possible to please everyone - all the time. We appreciate the fact that
Kirstie Alley, a comedic actress, speaks her mind in an honest and open
manner and the humor she uses to convey the frustration of being overweight.
Our new ad campaign is designed to reflect Kirstie's straight-forward sense
of humor and to contain words she actually uses in conversation. Kirstie's
weight loss journey is very real for her, therefore, we want the ads to
reflect the real Kirstie as much as possible.
We are sorry that you find the ad to be offensive and would hope you can see that our sensible approach to weight loss, 21-year heritage in the industry and millions of clients worldwide would demonstrate how serious we are about the issue of weight management. Hopefully, you've seen our other ad campaign that ran the past two weeks. It is comprised of real women with real weight loss stories speaking with their own words about our company.
You will see those serious, heartfelt commercials interspersed with Kirstie's commercials throughout the year. We hope this strategy will appeal to both people who respond to seriousness and to those who appreciate Kirstie's humor.
Sincerely,
Customer Care
So be it, says I to myself, and moved on to other matters.
Today at the gym, however, it occurred to me I hadn't seen that particular Jenny Craig commercial since I wrote the letter(s). There are other commercials with Alley, but not that one.
I have heard that for every letter a company gets, there are perhaps thousands more who feel the same way but who haven't the wherewithal to sit and pen a letter of complaint. Perhaps my drop in what must be a stream of criticism (people tend to write when they are annoyed, rather than pleased) did something.
Either way, it's off the air as far as I can tell.
Good.
