If You Don’t Like Diets, Change the Name and Brand
In the diet world, the words are changing. According to AdWeek, you may not be on a diet as much as you are on a lifestyle change. It may be that the internet has killed the before-and-after photos (fake advertising). It also may be that we are weary of the same old, same old in dieting. But the idea of dieting is so 1980s; so, time to freshen the brand.
In this age of authenticity and realism, a new dieting message is evolving that is more inclusive and realistic. To rebrand, you may not need to change the product, but you definitely need to change the messaging. And in the case of diets, the change is starting with a fundamental shift in focus. Some, Weight Watchers and Atkins, are even starting to use men in ads to show this is not just a women’s issue and changing the focus less on fitting into clothing and more about being healthy and strong.
Weight Watchers decided to sign a very robust DJ Khaled with his 16 million social media followers to promote this new ideal goal-oriented approach. Khaled doesn’t want to lose a specific amount of weight, but rather get healthier for his young child. The holistic view movement in the diet world is for less body shaming and more empowerment.
Even storied Coca-Cola, with Diet Coke, is adding a slimmer can, updating the logo and offering new flavors. It’s a 35-year-old refreshment in need of refreshing.
If your brand is like one of those tired houses on HGTV, it’s time to remodel, renew and rebrand. New thinking, new philosophies and new looks are causing even fundamental brands to look toward the future and move forward.
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle.
After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant.
He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.”
Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.”
One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College.
Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board.
Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.