Fat fighting brand Jenny Craig is first to sponsor Kyle & Jackie O after ‘fat slag’ attack
Weight loss brand Jenny Craig is the new sponsor of The Kyle & Jackie O Show, which returned to the air today.
The company is the first to sponsor the show since Holden ended its sponsorship on November 23 after Kyle Sandilands launched an on air attack on News Limited journalist Alison Stephenson, who he labelled a “fat slag”.
As well as losing the Holden sponsorship the show – which airs on 2Day FM in Sydney – lost many of its big brand advertisers over the attack.
Jenny Craig’s media buying is usually handled by Mindshare. However, the agency told Mumbrella that it did not place ads around this morning’s show.
Most of those advertisers were still absent from the Southern Cross Austereo station morning. Among the brands that were on air today were Foxtel, Network Ten, Budget, Spotlight and progressive car insurance. iSelect, which pulled its ads when the row blew up, was back on air.
Advocacy platform Change.org has been running a petition calling for an advertising boycott.
Late last year Jenny Craig rebranded as Jenny. The celebrity face of the brand is Mel B who is also signed as a regular contrubutor to the show.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Brave, though people keep listening to this crap so advertisers are always going to chase the audience … obviously Jenny Craig has run a risk assessment for their brand should anything (which will) happen. Or at least I hope they have!
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Well then time to dump Jenny.
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Wow.
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Well that shows how much they respect their customers.
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That’s incredibly ironic, after what he said about Magda Szubanski…
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Goodbye Jenny Craig.
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You just remember that, Kyle. 2012 means a new year, and no more excuses.
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Well it seems the only thing Jenny (formerly Jenny Craig) has lost in doing this is their integrity!!! Well done Jenny, you’ve proven to women worldwide that your brand is about money and not about helping them with self esteem!
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Does anybody here who claims they will now boycott Jenny Craig think the company is worried? I would bet $1000 most of you were never Jenny Craig customers in the first place and were never likely to be a customer. If you don’t like Kyle why don’t you just change the radio station and listen to something else? People who DO enjoy listening to him and find him entertaining don’t spend their days writing letters to editors telling other people what they should listen to. I think Alan Jones is a total wanker but I don’t tell other people not to listen to him and I don’t sign petitions asking for him to be taken off air. If somebody wants to listen to him that’s their business. Listen to whatever you like. Don’t tell others what they can or cannot like. Are you all going to boycott Foxtel as well? They are also sponsors of the show. What about Spotlight and Network 10?
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Fail. I really do not know how anyone can recommend their show to a client and spin it as great for brand assocation.
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never been a fan of kyle. never been a fan of celebrities pushing any kind of weight loss.. none of them to this day however have ever been so much of a bully. what are his adds going to be? bullying us into jenny? calling us all fat slags? telling men that if they call a woman fat and ignore their own problems to call jenny?
i would be a customer of jenny, but now it seems they have lost all sincerity… which i guess they didn’t have in the first place (which i was a fool to believe in. i guess…. but that’s marketing.)
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Ha – can see the new campaign now…..
Kyle: “listen all you fat slags, drag your beefy big butts into Jenny’s now, or I’ll stay on air….”
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Maybe their next campaign could be something like ‘Say goodbye to the fat slag in you’ ? After all they obviously support that kind of thing…..
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How on earth could they possibly support Kyle and Jackie O???.
So Jenny Craig thinks it’s okay to call people (clients) fat slags??
WOW!!!!
Do you lose brain cells with Jenny?
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Its a disgrace that Jenny Craig would sign up as a sponsor after the fat slag comments Kyle made. .. WTF was their marketing department thinking!!
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David,
You don’t have to be a customer to do damage. All you have to do is encounter someone considering being a customer of Jenny Craig and say “Oh, but did you know that they are the primary supporter of Kyle Sandiland’s show, where he gets away with calling women fat slags, not to mention makes threats against them?”
Sure its not guaranteed they’ll lose a customer, but its taking an unnecessary risk.
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This is either really brilliant, or downright, no-questions-asked, ridiculously, preposterously stupid. just cant decide which!
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no, its downright stupid.
Why cant we get this idiot off air?
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The topic of weight really gets people going… LOL. Why are Fat people so sensitive? For many years and quite successfully, Jenny Craig has been in the business of helping people overcome their need to over-eat to compensate for their perceived lack of affection. If Jenny wants to reach people fed up with their size through Kyle, as far as I can see, he is an apt spokesperson
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Crazy. I see their facebook page is copping criticism as no doubt are their other social media sites. Obviously the marketing/PR team at Qantas got the flick and moved over to Jenny Craig.
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You know, sometimes when I read these comments I wonder if I’m on a media and marketing website have somehow accidentally navigated to the Daily Telegraph comments section.
@David — you are a beacon of sense a cesspool of inanity.
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I will be boycotting these idiots.
I was impressed by Jenny Craig’s campaign featuring a strong, youthful, vibrant & sometimes outspoken role model like Mel B & inspired by her success.
Now, however, I have lost all respect for the organisation & feel their Marketing Department has seriously lost the plot.
I’m baffled as to why a brand like Jenny Craig that is targeted predominantly at women would choose to advertise on a station like 2Day FM & in the time slot of a known misogynist like Sandilands.
Forget the poor excuse that it’s a popular radio station, I work in Marketing & Advertising & am well aware of the ratings & demographics – as many of you would be. The popularity for their demographic is negligibly close between 2Day FM, Nova, Mix & other stations. They could have easily reached their target market & maintained their brand’s respect & image by spending their advertising dollars elsewhere.
I’m disgusted that a brand that is meant to inspire & empower women would choose to align itself with a deplorable human being who is a known women hater & who has been threatening & foul mouthed towards women – over & over. A lame FORCED apology (about the 100th one now) from Sandilands is not an excuse or reason to support him. In fact, supporting him now, after he has been repeatedly vile without repercussion is like supporting everything he has done in the past – including the vilification of women, repeated & unrelenting insults to overweight women & even insults to your former spokesperson Magda – do they support his comments that Jenny Craig didn’t do enough for Magda & “You put her in a concentration camp and you watch the weight fall, like she could be skinny.”??
Apparently he doesn’t believe in their program – why spend advertising dollars with him?
Sandilands has repeatedly been vile & disrespectful of women & Jenny Craig’s association with him is a poor decision – one which will lose business & damage their brand irreparably.
I will be signing petitions & taking action to raise awareness against Kyle Sandilands & now, against Jenny Craig who foolishly support such an appalling human being.
Just because he’s famous (for being a no talent hack, controversial & insulting) doesn’t mean he’s a good role model or good association for any brand – nor does it mean it’s ok for him to be violent, threatening or disrespectful of women. Yet Jenny Craig, a brand that’s meant to be ‘for’ women is supporting him. Madness. Their Marketing Deparment & Marketing Manager should be sacked.
Where are your brand’s ethics Jenny Craig? Shame on you!
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David, I personally had to make that decision a few months back. I chose a different company.
This fat slag is very glad she made the right decision and didn’t choose Jenny. If I had, I would definitely be considering my options right now.
This isn’t a product for those who are in lower socio-economic groups – it costs a fair few $$. I’m on the cheapest program (with their competitor) and it’s $140.00 a week (plus you’ve got to buy milk). When I did my cost comparison when I made the original decision, Jenny cost more than that.
So, I wonder, by advertising with 2Day, are they actually talking to the women with money? Or are they talking to women in their target market range who can’t afford it?
And you know what? The Magda comment from KS is a good reflection – he’s effectively slagged off their brand in the past.
Who wants to place bets on how long it takes for him to make a cruel “Maybe you should go to Jenny Craig?” remark?
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So a few of you really were potential customers and the sponsorship deal has cost Jenny your business. How about the number of new customers the sponsorship brings in? You assume everybody makes business decisions with their heart. What if there is no other company offering the deal or service Jenny is offering? What if the only weight-loss organisation in your local area is Jenny? Will you support BP, Caltex, Shell, etc. and drive further to a different weight-loss center?
As for the unnecessay risk, that is the art of business. Obviously somebody in their marketing department has weighed up (no pun intended) the risks and decided the pay-off is worth more than the cost. I think it will be interesting to see if they increase their customer base thanks to the sponsorship and if they do will all you complainers and petitioners come up with a new argument?
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@David – as you probably know, a boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with an organisation as an expression of protest. Jenny Craig should be worried about this, it’s very damaging to the brand. Being in marketing I assume we all know the effect of bad publicity & PR on a brand’s strength, perception & success. These kinds of poor marketing decisions cast doubt on the whole organisation’s ethics & ability to make good business decisions. I’m not going to use them & I certainly wouldn’t be recommending them to anyone who needed help in this area. They’re now an organisation I have no respect for & hold in contempt for their ridiculous decisions. I don’t listen to 2Day FM – this goes much deeper than that. Sandilands is a vile, deplorable misogynist & it’s dangerous having people like him in positions with any influence at all. People hear him mocking, threatening & being disrespectful of others – especially women & overweight people (of which he is one) & see him making money for it – it’s unhealthy. My opinion is that he needs to be taken off air & I’m using my voice to stand up for what I believe in, I don’t use it for everything & I’ve never written a letter to an Editor, but I think getting him off the air is a cause worth putting my energy into & as they say ‘one person can make a difference’.
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Goodbye Jenny, Hello Lite & Easy!!!
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@ David as the only person not appalled at fat Jenny’s association with the horrible Sandilands there is just one question: do you work for the agency, or have you lost so much weight your head has caved in?
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Kyle’s rants have sent the negative body image message to the demographic Jenny Craig are aiming for. It’s a perfect match.
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It is not only the Jenny brand that will suffer but also the staff. Imagine being one of the hundreds of consultants they have around the country and having to defend your employer in the face of the indefensible! I’d like to see their staff turnover rates in 2012 versus LY. This does not just raise the ire of the female population, or the Syney population. It is a national interest issue. David has a strong argument, however he is ignoring the magnitude and consistency of popular opinion, as is Kyle’s employer.
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Perhaps he will promote his own brand of Tosser Salad!
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You’ve all had look at their Facebook page, yeah?
That right there is a slow-motion social media train wreck.
Grab yourself some popcorn and go have a look.
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If you take a look at Facebook now you can see they have discontinued advertising with the show. You can see that they had to post on the US Page which surely there will be interest from the US now in whats gone on.
The power of social media.
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A win for common sense as JC pulls their ads after one day… Who else wants to try and sponsor this man?
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Jenny Craig have announced on FB that they have pulled their sponsorship of the 2day b’fast show. Shame it came a day too late
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Very happy to report that JC have pulled their advertising with Austereo.
It just goes to show that in this day & age companies need to consider the impact of their decisions & the power of the people – especially in regards to the internet & social media.
I applaud JC for pulling their advertising with Austereo, but it should be remembered that there was absolutely no sense in a company run predominantly by women & for women to be associated with a station who’s main draw-card is someone with an atrocious history of insulting & threatening women & overweight people.
I feel for the person who was tasked with responding, but note that they should be furious with their Marketing Manager for making such a disgraceful & ridiculous decision in the first place – that’s who put them in this situation, not those who reacted. I would also give credit to the way they dealt with the very ugly response to the whole situation on Facebook & Twitter. Their apologies are also very humble.
I hope the Marketing Department & Manager consider their advertising campaigns more thoughtfully in future & consider the power of the internet & social media in this day & age.
Well done JC for rectifying the mistake & I hope the poor person who had to deal with the fallout is handsomely compensated!
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David,
Honestly am i the only one that agrees with you?… Kyle has always been a shock jock, he has always been someone who speaks their mind rather then sucking up the rear ends of every person that listens to him.
All these people shooting their opinions about signing petitions will NEVER get off their cabooses coz they find it too much effort. They talk big, but think small.
Jenny craigs name is out their now, and thats what marketing professionals do, get their name out there. Kyle will be on the radio for a long time and still be number one.
I would even bet, that 60% of you all listen to him and find him funny!!! but just want to be part of a failing bandwagon to have your irionic voices heard. Why…. because nobody normally wants to hear your whining.
Go eat a donut.
Kyle : Keep up the good work, and let these people who want equal rights cop equal rights. 10/10 work!
Teddy B
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Everyone needs to get a life.
I agree with Teddy and David.
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@ teddy – much like Kyle you are a bully who doesn’t like anyone to have an opinion but feel it’s ok for you to have one. Also, just like Kyle, you have nothing intelligent to offer so you stoop to ridiculous high school style jibes like “go eat a donut”. Kyle is not funny, the issues of being a racist, a mysoginist, a sexist or a bully aer also not funny or to be ridiculed. The intelligent people who have voiced their opinions here have a right to do so, even if they’re not in line with yours. Go read a book.
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to be honest good on them, not sure how they thought sponsoring a pig would of brought good publicity. Agree if you don’t like it then don’t listen to it hence they’ve stopped the sponsorship. Its nice to see a company actually sticking to their core values.
@ teddy- out of curiosity how is calling someone a fat slag.. equality??
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