Repositioning in the Protein World way
Protein World, which sells healthy dietary supplements, advertised its weight loss products on billboards in 2015 with this slogan:
„Is your body beach-ready?”
The billboard featured a young white woman in a bikini, clearly conveying the message that if someone does not feel their body is ready for the beach, they should purchase their specially formulated weight loss supplements.
The billboard was showcased in London and New York, causing outrage everywhere. Feminist groups were outraged that, according to the ad's message, this was the only body considered beach-ready. The British APA (Advertising Producers Association), which approved the ads, received over 370 complaints emphasizing the social responsibility of the advertisement.
More than 50,000 signatures were collected on the Change.org community petition site to ban the advertisement.
Despite the protests, the £250,000 advertisement brought in over £1 million in profit for the company, and the authority stated that there was no issue with the social responsibility of the female figure depicted by the company, as it did not seem offensive to others. However, the company was instructed to change statements regarding health effects and weight loss.
Following this, the company decided to choose Khloe Kardashian as the face of the „30-Day Challenge” in 2017, using the title of the family's well-known series: „Can You Keep Up with a Kardashian?”
„Can you keep up with a Kardashian?”
Based on the 14 complaints received, the authority also determined that there was no issue with the social responsibility of the advertisement.
However, in 2018, Protein World's marketing strategy was completely repositioned, emphasizing the development of self-confidence and positive messages instead of competition. Every Body Works In the campaign, they featured real women on the billboards and encouraged their users to share their weight loss stories on the company's Instagram page, inspiring others as well.
All analysts agree that this is a very positive change compared to previous efforts, but examining the reasons raises the question of whether the company is truly thinking more responsibly?
We will see in their next campaign...
Are you interested in the topic?
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