Weight Management Trends & Behaviors: Beyond Dieting & Obesity

Introduction

Weight management is a core consumer and industry issue, especially in light of the high and growing prevalence of overweight/obese individuals worldwide. With the topic influencing consumer behavior and social policy, it is essential that the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is seen to be making proactively positive contributions
Scope

* Detailed insights and analysis on the drivers and inhibitors of weight management. Includes strategic conclusions and actionable recommendations
* Country-specific data on obesity/overweight prevalence and quantitative insight about the relative importance consumers place on weight management
* Gauge the health of the industry: ascertains consumer trust in the weight management industry and the implications for brand development
* Covers 20 major markets across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Delivered as a full report and an abridged ppt. brief

Highlights

Almost a quarter (24%) of consumers deem "maintaining an ideal weight" to be 'very important'. Approaching half (48%) also consider this to be an 'important' priority. Quite simply, majorities across the 20 countries covered believe in an "ideal weight", and that it is something to strive towards

Weight loss is by far the most pronounced weight management intention in spite of weight gain continuing to be the prevailing reality across countries. Across the 20 countries surveyed by Datamonitor in July/August 2010, nearly half (49%) felt that "trying to lose weight" best describes what they are doing about their weight

Much of a product's eventual success hinges on its credibility and how trustworthy its motives and claimed benefits are deemed. However, consumers are highly untrusting towards the motives and credibility of the weight management industry with weight loss' claims deemed even less trustworthy than 'general health and nutritional claims'
Reasons to Purchase

* Consumer understanding: obtain an understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviors towards weight management with detailed, evidence-led insight
* Market understanding: detailed country specific data outlining consumers' weight categorization and their weight management intentions & approaches
* Ideation: gain inspiration for innovative formulations and positioning capitalizing consumers' desire for effective weight management products

Report Highlights
Almost a quarter (24%) of consumers deem "maintaining an ideal weight" to be 'very important'. Approaching half (48%) also consider this to be an 'important' priority. Quite simply, majorities across the 20 countries covered believe in an "ideal weight", and that it is something to strive towards

Weight loss is by far the most pronounced weight management intention in spite of weight gain continuing to be the prevailing reality across countries. Across the 20 countries surveyed by Datamonitor in July/August 2010, nearly half (49%) felt that "trying to lose weight" best describes what they are doing about their weight

Much of a product's eventual success hinges on its credibility and how trustworthy its motives and claimed benefits are deemed. However, consumers are highly untrusting towards the motives and credibility of the weight management industry with weight loss' claims deemed even less trustworthy than 'general health and nutritional claims'
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview 1
Catalyst 1
Summary 1
THE FUTURE DECODED 15
INTRODUCTION: Weight management is a major consumer priority and therefore an industry defining issue15
TREND: Weight loss is by far the most pronounced weight management intention in spite of weight gain
continuing to be the prevailing reality across countries 21
INSIGHT: Consumers are more introspective about weight management and overall health, but this does not
always lead to better outcomes 47
INSIGHT: Exercise rates are marginally growing with consumers appearing less engaged with physical
fitness than other aspects of wellbeing 71
INSIGHT: Weight management approaches vary in line with conflicting consumer priorities 84
INSIGHT: Although less common, intentions to maintain and gain weight should not be overlooked in the
weight management space 117
INSIGHT: Consumers are highly untrusting towards the motives and credibility of the weight management
industry 124
INSIGHT: The implications of alcohol consumption and weight are becoming more prominent consumer
considerations 139
ACTION POINTS 150
ACTION: Carefully determine where a product and brand fits on the health and indulgence continuum 150
ACTION: Provide consumers with salient education/information necessary to make informed decisions that
form part of a reliable weight management strategy 151
ACTION: Ensure that trust-enhancing marketing tactics drive weight management marketing efforts 155
ACTION: Relentlessly follow ingredient trends and research developments to maximize product relevancy 160
APPENDIX 163
Supplementary data 163
Report methodology 189
Further reading and references 191
Ask the analyst 194
Datamonitor consulting 195
Disclaimer 195

TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Weight management is a multi-faceted issue 15
Figure 2: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a commonly used measurement to assess weight boundaries16
Figure 3: Approaching three-quarters of consumers across 20 countries deem maintaining an
“ideal weight” to be important 18
Figure 4: The weight management market is shaped by a myriad of drivers and inhibitors 20
Figure 5: Weight management is still more heavily associated with weight loss than weight gain 21
Figure 6: A relatively high degree of consistency is apparent across countries regarding
consumers’ weight management intentions, including the overarching inclination to
lose weight 24
Figure 7: The emphasis on weight loss is reflected by consumers’ weight management food
strategies 27
Figure 8: Obesity is hugely prevalent in the US, but far less so in parts of Asia 29
Figure 9: Obesity is growing faster in China than anywhere else worldwide, albeit from a low base30
Figure 10: Women tend to encounter weight problems more so than men in many countries as
evident in this global/regional snapshot 33
Figure 11: Obesity increases with age, but ongoing growth in childhood obesity is a major societal
concern 34
Figure 12: Indian and Middle Eastern consumers are most likely to admit compromising their
health/nutrition in order to manage their weight 36
Figure 13: Poorly-chosen marketing messages face considerable consumer backlash given the
intensifying societal sensitivity to eating disorders 39
Figure 14: Despite being highly focused on weight loss, many factors inhibit consumers’
intentions 40
Figure 15: The powerful influence of sensory attributes—and the associated desire to indulge—
makes it challenging for many consumers to achieve their weight management goals 43
Figure 16: Consumers are actively seeking food and drinks that are both tasty and enjoyable at the
same time 44
Figure 17: Consumers are placing more emphasis on choosing healthy and tasty products
simultaneously 45
Table of Contents
Weight Management Trends & Behaviors: Beyond Dieting & Obesity DMCM4760/ Published 09/2010
© Datamonitor. This brief is a licensed product and is not to be photocopied Page 4
Figure 18: Consumers are becoming more introspective about weight management and health
more generally 47
Figure 19: Very few people across countries claim to be very satisfied with their body weight and
shape 49
Figure 20: Only 20% of obese US consumers correctly identified themselves as being extremely
overweight 51
Figure 21: Compared to body weight, satisfaction with general health is more in line with the
attentiveness people show towards it 53
Figure 22: On average, consumers are making more conscious attempts to eat healthily in 2010
than in 2009 55
Figure 23: Europeans are the least likely to try and read up/find out about maintaining good
general health 58
Figure 24: Around half of global consumers are interested in hearing the relationship between food
and weight 59
Figure 25: Mapping the indulgence space: indulgence has multiple connotations in terms of
impetus and occasion, all of which can potentially compromise consumers’ weight
management goals 62
Figure 26: Orthorexia nervosa is a condition that reflects the ‘food stress’ that results from the
intense interest in healthy eating 63
Figure 27: Personal branding is a manifestation of the pervasive influence of the ‘visual culture’
trend 64
Figure 28: Improved physical appearance is the top motivator driving weight loss intentions in the
US 65
Figure 29: Physical appearance commands a high amount of attention for around half of global
citizens, but notable country nuances are apparent 66
Figure 30: There has been little change recently in the global consensus regarding the link
between diet and appearance 68
Figure 31: Limited growth in time spent exercising is influenced by limited value/emphasis being
placed on physical fitness by consumers 72
Figure 32: Americans primarily exercise with the intention of losing weight, whereas for Europeans
this is less of a consideration 73
Figure 33: Less than half of citizens across countries are highly attentive towards their own
physical fitness, and even fewer express satisfaction with their level of physical fitness 75
Figure 34: Many consumers adopt a ‘debit-credit’ approach to diet and exercise, which is all about
balance 77
Figure 35: Generally, consumers cannot claim to be making adequate efforts to get enough
exercise a majority of the time 79
Figure 36: The emphasis on weight loss is reflected by consumers’ approaches to weight
management 84
Figure 37: Weight management approaches vary in line with sometimes conflicting consumer
priorities 85
Figure 38: Consumers were more likely to report following a specific diet plan in 2010 than they
were in 2009 86
Figure 39: Consumers are divided as to the effectiveness of dieting as a means of long-term
weight loss 90
Figure 40: Formal and organized weight management regimes have benefits for both consumers
and manufacturers alike 91
Figure 41: In keeping with the wider FMCG industry, established weight management programs
such as Jenny Craig may face an intensifying private label threat via retailer-branded
schemes 93
Figure 42: The demise of the ‘Atkins diet’ had a dramatic effect on 'low/no carb’ launches 94
Figure 43: Consumers respond better to positive messages: too often weight management
products focus on what is being lost which is inherently negative 96
Figure 44: Weight management is dictated by the continuum of healthy eating that has emerged,
which also means that functional ingredients often work in synergy with dieting efforts 98
Figure 45: Majorities of consumers consider themselves to be at least ‘fairly well’ informed about
the amount of calories to be consumed daily, but far fewer feel ‘very well informed’ 100
Figure 46: Western consumers are less attentive than those from elsewhere when it comes to both
the amount of food they consume and the amount of calories they consume 103
Figure 47: There has been a sizeable increase in the percentage of consumers looking to employ
portion control when eating and drinking in 2009-10 106
Figure 48: A recent decline is apparent in the percentage of food and beverages touting ‘low’ or
‘no’ fat, while equivalent claims focusing on calories have remained broadly similar
since 2002 111
Figure 49: Satiety reflects the language of the industry and not that of consumers 114
Figure 50: Products touting satiety benefits are appearing in new and interesting formats 114
Figure 51: Consumers claim to be interested in satiety but a large proportion are not actively
buying products which claim such benefits 115
Figure 52: Although less common, intentions to maintain and gain weight should not be
overlooked in the weight management space 117
Figure 53: The vast majority of consumers believe that they understand what constitutes a
balanced diet 120
Figure 54: Skeptical Consumerism: there are four reasons why trust and ethos based branding are
of increasing importance 124
Figure 55: Consumers are untrusting towards the motives and credibility of the weight
management industry 125
Figure 56: Europeans tend to be less trusting in general health and nutritional claims made by
manufacturers 126
Figure 57: With a few exceptions, consumers are inherently skeptical of food and beverages
claiming weight loss benefits 128
Figure 58: Consumers are often exposed to negative media messages about the failings/limitations
of weight management products 131
Figure 59: Fewer than a quarter of consumers believe in the motivations of the weight loss
industry 132
Figure 60: Consumers believe recommendations from nutritionists to hold much more credence
than claims from manufacturers within the weight loss industry 134
Figure 61: Only a tiny fraction of consumers completely trust food and beverage products that
claim to assist in the burning of calories 137
Figure 62: Consumers do not consider skincare products touting weight loss credentials to be
credible 137
Figure 63: Health has some influence over consumers’ alcoholic drinks choices 139
Figure 64: The long-term negative health implications of drinking alcohol is important to a large
segment of drinkers in most countries, more so than the potential weight gain of
drinking too much 140
Figure 65: Few drinkers consider themselves highly informed of the calorific content of alcoholic
beverages 141
Figure 66: Just over one-in-four drinkers is attentive to the weight gain ramifications of drinking
alcohol, although this outlook varies considerably by country 143
Figure 67: There has not been much change in drinkers tendency to opt for alcoholic beverages
with a lower calorific content 145
Figure 68: Beers have tended to take on a 'light' positioning to convey better-for-you benefits, but
without conveying the message that taste has been compromised, as can occur with
'low calorie' claims 148
Figure 69: The desire for health AND indulgence leads to a continuum of product development
platforms 150
Figure 70: The creation of mobile phone applications is one of the newest ways in which weight
management companies are engaging with consumers 152
Figure 71: Food ranking systems such as the NuVal system make it more imperative than ever that
products are formulated to be as healthful as possible 153
Figure 72: Crowdsourced ideas, whereby consumers share information among themselves, has
the potential to increase brand engagement for weight management offerings
embracing this tactic 154
Figure 73: Professional nutritionists are deemed more credible than the overall weight loss
industry, which suggests that they are potentially important in shaping more positive
consumer expectations 155
Figure 74: Exclusivity agreements with reputable retailers can automatically add authenticity to an
otherwise unknown weight management brand 156
Figure 75: Authenticity is strongly aligned with the need to create more compelling and distinctive
brand auras to help achieve marketplace differentiation and added credibility 158
Figure 76: In recent years, a spate of campaigns have highlighted the relationship between animal
farming and climate change 159
Figure 77: Three important commonalities represent the crossover between ethical/environmental
consumerism and authenticity 160
Figure 78: Ingredients/formulation can be aligned with the wide range of consumer approaches to
tackle weight management 162
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