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That's why it was a bit confusing to note that Weight Watchers was renamed last year. In September 2018, the company changed its name to Weight Watchers and became WW and stated that its new goal was no longer weight loss, but health and well-being in general. There was even a new slogan: "Wellness that Works".
Many postulated that this pivot was due to overall health trends that minimized weight loss diets compared to more holistic approaches. Many critics, however, say that WW's welfare-centered approach is a bit of a facade, as dieting is still an integral part of its program. But the WW brand change could be due to something else: to follow the phenomenal evolution of health technologies.
Fitness applications have experienced unprecedented growth in recent years. Flurry Analytics reports that they have increased by 330% between 2014 and 2017, and that applications in this category are also the most "sticky". In other words, health and fitness apps are often the ones that customers keep coming back to. Rather than turning to support groups and gyms, people are now turning to their phones for health advice. It's easier, less intimidating and often much more affordable.
Compared to new food recording applications or fitness tracking solutions such as Fitbit, Weight Watchers' approach to counting points and community support may seem overwhelmed. Of course, counting calories is a chore, but apps like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt can help you do it for free, and you do not have to worry about following an ever changing proprietary points system. Similarly, there are online fitness support groups on Facebook and elsewhere that are easily accessible without having to pay a single penny.
Yet Weight Watchers has been trying to keep up with the pace of recent years. In 2014, the app incorporated fitness data from trackers like Fitbit and Jawbone. In 2015, the company launched an "Beyond Scale" program that adjusted the points allocation in foods to focus on lean protein and relegate carbohydrates loaded with sugar. He also introduced Connect, a solid online community of Weight Watchers users only available with a subscription. In 2017, the company launched WW Freestyle, a new version of the points program that places a zero value on healthy foods such as eggs and fish so members can eat as much as they want without feeling guilty.
The most important change, however, has come with the 2018 brand change in WW. Not only has the focus been on fitness and well-being in general, but the application has been redesigned from the ground up. The recording of food is still an essential component, but there are now other features such as Aaptiv's custom audio workouts and meditations organized by Headspace directly in the application (and without no additional fees). WW has also launched Connect Groups, which aims to promote the WW online community on unique themes such as vegetarianism and yoga. Finally, WW launches Voice Integration Services with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so that members can easily search for food point values and add them to their journal.
In short, WW wants to be the all-in-one solution for all your health needs. "In the same way that you use Netflix for movies or Spotify for music, we want you to use WW for health and well-being," said Stacie Sherer, WW Communications Manager.
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