CHAPTER 6

HERES MY PROBLEM

In the early 1960s , WW founder Jean Nidetch began inviting friends into her Queens, New York living room once a week to talk about their lives and how to stay on their diets. Today, that group of friends has grown to millions of women and men around the world who have joined WW to lose weight and lead healthier lives.

More than 50 years after WW was founded , the need for this kind of support has never been greater. Two out of three American adults are overweight , and one-third are obese. We spend more than $60 billion per year on weight-loss solutions , ranging from diet drinks and gym memberships to programs like WW and competitors like Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem . Healthcare providers and employers are grappling with the best way to address this costly epidemic And losing weight continues to be a top priority for many consumers .

Yet there has been a shift in how people think about weight loss. Today's consumers don't want dieting, deprivation, and restriction; they want a more holistic and personalized solution that integrates healthier eating, fitness, and emotional well-being. They are also looking for success to be measured by more than just the number on the scale.

In an age of infinite options and choices, it is getting harder to get people to "join" or commit to a single program. Many people opt for a "do-it-yourselfapproach using smartphones, apps, and trackers as well as customized diets and exercise regimens that fit their preferences and needs. Many consumers say they don't want a one-size-fits -all approach like WW International, and that they aren't all that interested in carving out for weekly meetings that don't seem current.

In January 2016, response to this changing landscape, WW launched a new "Beyond the Scale" program that takes a more personalized approach based on each member's unique lifestyle, goals, and challenges. After an initial assessment, each member receives a custom program that includes daily and weekly SmartPoints targets (to encourage them to eat better), a personalized activity goal (to nudge them to move more), and education and inspiration tailored to their unique situation

Members can choose to participate in the program online, in person, or both. A typical member's experience consists of attending weekly meetings, each lasting about 45 minutes, at a location where an inspiring leader who has been successful using the program supports the member group in achieving their stated weight-loss goals.

Whether a member engages online or in person, the challenge for WW is to find relevant ways to help them stay motivated, inspired, and positive week after week-because the weightloss journey is typically a long haul, and clinical evidence shows that happier people tend to make healthier choices.

As leader of the global innovation team, Dondeena's job was to focus on transforming the WW face-to-face business. Her challenge was to modemize the experience for today's busy, "always onconsumer and to appeal to more people than the segment of age 50+ women that make up core customer base.

Dondeena's team also was asked to address the seasonal/cyclical nature of a business that starts strong at the beginning of the year and typically goes downhill from there. The fact is, after a big marketing and membership burstin January when new year / new me resolutions are at a peak, engagement and attendance at WW begins to decline significantly throughout the year-as people Jose motivation, their commitment wanesand it gets harder to stay on track

There's no doubt that people still want the benefits that WW delivers, but Dondeena had to think hard about new ways for the company to show up and deliver its services given the realities of consumer behavior today.

Dondeena considered her options 1-2-3

OPTION 1

Make the weekly meetings more productive and entertaining. Mix them up with lectures by lifestyle experts, and offer classes in yoga, Pilates, and other forms of exercise to provide a one stop shopping experience for attendees. These offerings would be attractive to busy people who want to maximize their "bang for the buck" when they allocate time to weight loss. They would also sync nicely with the broader consumer trend of a heightened interest in wellness that continues to spread through the mainstream U.S. population. On the other hand, these activities would dilute the core WW experience, which is unique because it emphasizes group support and provides a forum for people to share their anxieties and frustrations when they try to lose weight. In addition had no expertise in these areas, so becoming a broader lifestyle-oriented company would be a departure from the company's strategic mission. Plus, it would require a massive amount of training for the company's field of 10,000+ meeting leaders and service providers

OPTION 2

Design an immersive well-being event that would debunk and shift current assumptions about WW International (dated , diet-focused, boring ) and give participants a contemporary, compelling, life-changing experience. This event would be unique and unexpected enough to energize current members, reengage those who have left, and entice individuals who have never considered WW before. It would capitalize on trends of people Increasingly paying for "experiences" that range from 45-minute group cycling classes at Soul Cycle to four-day Wanderlust retreats at a Hawaiian resort , featuring yoga, meditation , chefs, and performers. The event would generate a lot of word of mouth (a critical driver to the WW business), and Dondeena's team could use feedback on the first one to modify subsequent events and determine whether this plan is feasible. On the other hand, a large dramatic event would be a far stretch from the traditional WW model. It might alienate core members who expect WW to be focused on food, not holistic practices and approaches. It would also require a lot of resources to plan and execute a novel experience like this from scratch .

OPTION 3

Organize a transformative event, but partner with an existing organization like Wanderlust to leverage their experience and infrastructure. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, could move quickly to market with a proven business model and a competent cosponsor that knows how to stage a complicated event for hundreds or thousands of people. On the other hand, a partner wouldn't be as familiar with the needs of the weight-loss community, so the experience might not be as authentic for customers. In addition, even if the event were successful, WW International would not "own" it, so the value to the company's ongoing program might be hard to assess.

QUESTIONS

1- Review Here's my problem.

Review the three options listed and for each option answer the follow

A- Would you choose yes or no

B- Explain your answer