Oprah Winfrey speaks at the Belief New York premiere at The Times Center on October 14, 2015 in New York City.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Oprah Winfrey, the quintessential yo-yo dieter, has joined Weight Watchers in a big way.
The talk show host turned lifestyle evangelist announced Monday she is purchasing shares worth 10 per cent of the company and will become a member of both Weight Watchers and its board of directors. What's more, Winfrey has given Weight Watchers the right to use her name, image and likeness for the next five years.
News of the partnership doubled Weight Watchers' share price Monday, resulting in the biggest trading day in the company's history, The Globe and Mail reported. But will Oprah have a lasting impact on the company's fortunes - and the weight loss industry overall?
Tim Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta, said the long-term effects of Oprah's endorsement are difficult to predict. No one can argue that Oprah has huge credibility and influence over a certain segment of the population, said Caulfield, author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash. "Just look at the impact Oprah had on the Obama campaign." Noting her reputation for losing and regaining weight, he added, "people may sympathize with her struggles."
On the other hand, even Oprah may have trouble reviving a stale brand in an industry dominated by high-tech weight loss apps, exotic new super foods and calorie-tracking gadgets. Founded in 1963 by homemaker Jean Nidetch of Brooklyn, N.Y., Weight Watchers has never really shaken its fusty roots. From the beginning, the company has taken a support group approach to weight loss, emphasizing exercise, weighing and measuring foods and a life-long commitment to keeping weight down. For millennials and Gen-Xers with an appetite for weight loss gimmicks, Caulfield said, "The question is, is it going to be hip enough?"
Weight Watchers has tried to keep up with the times, adding online-only programs to its range of meetings and services offered in about 30 countries worldwide. The company's celebrity spokespersons have included actress Jenny McCarthy and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and a smaller number who may draw in women under age 40, such as Grammy-Award winning singer Jennifer Hudson and reality star Jessica Simpson.
With Oprah's endorsement, Weight Watchers may continue to appeal mainly to boomer-aged women like Winfrey herself. "Weight Watchers must know that, and for their company, that may be entirely appropriate," Caulfield said.
Winfrey's own chances of keeping pounds off using the Weight Watchers program are probably better than her earlier attempts. In 1988, Winfrey shed 67 pounds after going on a liquid diet, only to regain 10 pounds within two weeks of reintroducing solid foods.
Weight Watchers has been studied in randomized controlled trials. In a 2015 analysis published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, members of Weight Watchers achieved 2.6 per cent more weight loss after 12 months than individuals in a control group. That's not saying much. "People are often shocked at how difficult it is to keep weight off," Caulfield said, "but the data on sustained weight loss is absolutely grim."