Integrated Kirstie Alley Marketing Campaign Takes the Gold for Jenny Craig

Integrated Kirstie Alley Marketing Campaign Takes the Gold for Jenny Craig

~'Have You Called Jenny Yet?' Awarded for Effectiveness~

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the release of their latest Kirstie Alley commercial, Jenny Craig announced today that the company has won the Gold EFFIE Award in the Recruitment Advertising category for their "Have You Called Jenny Yet?" campaign. Based on the effectiveness of strategy, creative media and research to achieve great results, this prestigious advertising award follows a series of successes for the company since Kirstie Alley became their celebrity client in 2005.

Reflecting Jenny Craig's upbeat and compassionate approach to weight loss, the breakthrough campaign has focused on Ms. Alley's witty and self-effacing personality. The campaign has broken the mold in an industry where commercials have often been based on outlandish "magic bullet" claims - and viewers have responded by enrolling in the Jenny Craig program in record numbers. Jenny Craig was acknowledged by the EFFIE awards for the time period covering the first six months of the campaign.

"The EFFIE Award marks another milestone of excellence and achievement for the company," said Scott Parker, Vice President, Marketing of Jenny Craig. "This award solidifies what we have already known about the effectiveness of our campaign and the value of having Kirstie Alley as our star client. We are glad to have Kirstie on board for her second year. As Kirstie says, "It is an amazing partnership."

For clients Lori Smith and Giselle Clarke-Edmead, the award-winning campaign means a shot at stardom. After participating in an extensive casting call in Los Angeles in early March, Clarke-Edmead and Smith were selected to appear in the latest of a series of new Jenny Craig commercials featuring Alley. The humorous spot titled "Pool Boy" is slated to begin airing in Canada and the U.S. June 12.

"Including non-celebrity clients who were empowered and motivated by Kirstie is the impetus behind our latest series of commercials," added Parker. "As Kirstie has taken on her new role as mentor, our marketing campaign has focused on the power and momentum of that concept. If proven effective, as we believe it will be, this phase of our ongoing campaign may make us a contender for next year's EFFIEs, as well."

The EFFIE's are the only awards that evaluate how effectively companies reach their intended audience. J. Walter Thompson is the advertising agency that developed the, "Have You Called Jenny Yet?" campaign in partnership with Jenny Craig.

About the EFFIEs

All EFFIE judging is systematic and thorough, with final scores based two- thirds on results achieved and one-third on creativity. For the final decisions, some 150 senior advertising and marketing executives spent three days reviewing detailed campaign case studies with a variety of creative executions. The EFFIE awards, now in their 37th year, were held at the Marriott Marquis in New York.

About Jenny Craig

Jenny Craig is committed to a personalized approach to weight loss by offering clients a one-on-one weekly consultation and a customized weight management plan designed to optimize individual success. The Jenny Craig program is a comprehensive "Food-Body-Mind" solution that helps clients manage their weight by creating a healthy relationship with food, building an active lifestyle and developing a balanced approach to living. Jenny Craig, Inc., based in Carlsbad, CA, is one of the world's largest weight management companies, with approximately 640 Centres in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico.

Source: Jenny Craig

CONTACT: Erica Rosen of Lippe Taylor, +1-212-598-4400 ext. 125, or
erosen@lippetaylor.com; or Cozette Phifer of Jenny Craig, +1-760-696-4160, or
cphifer@jennycraig.com

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