WeightWatchers 2009 Annual Report Download - page 8

our members and subscribers alike to conveniently
access Weight Watchers information on the go,
making it easier to incorporate the Weight Watchers
plan into their lifestyle. In 2009, we launched a new
Weight Watchers iPhone® App on the iTunes® App
Store. With this app, Weight Watchers Online and
Weight Watchers eTools subscribers can use their
iPhone or iPod touch® to access a suite of weight-
loss tools included with their subscription. The
app also grants non-subscribers access to Weight
Watchers content, such as recipes, articles, and
a location-based meeting fi nder – making Weight
Watchers accessible for our members, subscribers
and potential customers anywhere at anytime. Early
response was fantastic.
The adoption of social networking continues to
increase around the world. Weight Watchers made
aggressive investments in these technologies through
a complete revamp of the social networking and
community tools on our website. This included a wide
range of new features and functionality including blogs,
personal profi le pages, friends, challenges and other
resources that allow people to share their experiences
and build a network of friends with the like-minded
goal of losing weight by adopting a healthier lifestyle.
With new content generated on a daily basis and plans
to make the Weight Watchers internet community even
more robust with even new functionality, we can further
promote adherence to the program for both meetings
members and Online subscribers.
Involvement and group participation are truly the key
ingredients to successful weight loss. I am pleased to
say the participation of our members in the second
annual Lose for Good® campaign was remarkable. Lose
for Good was created to raise awareness about two
global epidemics – obesity and hunger. We encouraged
our members to donate food at levels that matched
their own weight loss. Weight Watchers additionally
donated $1 million to two hunger fi ghting organizations
– Share Our Strength®, the leading organization working
to end childhood hunger in America, and Action Against
Hunger®, an international organization. We far exceeded
last year’s results during the campaign: our members
lost 4 million pounds, our service providers volunteered
to run 3,300 food drives across the country, a 50%
increase over 2008, and our members donated 2 million
pounds of food, 33% more than last year. Utilizing the
Lose for Good campaign, our members were motivated
to lose weight, while simultaneously helping those in
need during this diffi cult economic time.
As our nation continues to struggle with the obesity
epidemic and its economic consequences on our
healthcare system, there is an increased focus on
dealing with this growing problem. In the summer of
2009, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) hosted
its fi rst annual Weight of the Nation conference
dedicated to the mission of obesity prevention and
control. At the conference, several economists
presented research demonstrating that obesity now
accounts for approximately $147 billion in annual
healthcare costs, or 10% of the total U.S. healthcare
budget. This fi gure is astounding and preventative
action must be taken. The CDC estimates that
a sustained 10% weight loss can reduce lifetime
medical expense for someone who has a BMI
of 30 or greater by $2,200 to $5,300 over their
lifetime – an incredible return on investment. While
Washington is divided on exactly what reform should
entail, everyone recognizes that if our nation had
healthier habits, healthcare expenditures would be
lower. However, the problem remains that very little is
currently spent on preventive healthcare.
Utilizing the Lose for Good®
campaign, our members
were motivated to lose weight,
while simultaneously helping
those in need during this
diffi cult economic time.