WEIGHT WATCHERS STUDY

PREPARED FOR:

THE NATIONAL WATERMELON

PROMOTION BOARD

October, 2007

PREPARED BY:

rose research (r2)

5455 federal highway, suite q

boca raton, fl 33487

phone: (561) 241-1515fax: (561) 241-1505

BACKGROUND & PURPOSE/METHODOLOGY

BACKGROUND & PURPOSE

The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) participated in Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” campaign in the 3rd quarter of 2007. In order to measure the effectiveness of the campaign, a market research study was commissioned (consisting of a pre-wave – which was completed before the campaign commenced and a post-wave – which was conducted after the campaign ended). In addition to measuring the effectiveness of the campaign, the survey also determined awareness of the Jenny McCarthy Weight Watchers commercial, as well as the extent to which Weight Watchers members recalled receiving watermelon recipe cards at the meetings during the 3rd Quarter of 2007.

The following demographic information was also obtained in order to diagnostically understand respondents’ reaction to the various new product ideas:

  • Demographics of the respondents
  • Age
  • Education
  • Number of people living in household
  • Presence of children
  • Ethnicity
  • Income

METHODOLOGY

A total of 1014online interviews were completed among a national sample of respondents who are the primary grocery shoppers of their household. Specifically, 507 interviews were completed during June, 2007, prior to the launch of the campaign and 507 interviews were completed in early October, 2007, shortly after the 3rd quarter campaign ended.

MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

Positively, overall, the Weight Watchers watermelon promotions elicited a strong response. In fact, the commercial featuring Jenny McCarthy generated (aided) awareness among nearly half of the respondents (45%) – with younger consumers even higher (<46 – 55% vs. 46+ - 33%). In addition, better than 2 in 10 of the study participants (who belong to Weight Watchers) were aware that watermelon was the “Pick of the Season” this quarter (21%), while more than two-fifths who received a watermelon recipe card during the promotional period plan on preparing a dish containing watermelon (44%).

Moreover, and also encouraging, the in-store promotions are motivating, as nearly half of the consumers (47%) indicated that they are “much more” or “somewhat more” likely to buy watermelon after becoming aware of the promotion – with significantly more watermelon purchasers and Weight Watchers members who feel this way (purchasers – 51% vs. non-purchasers – 45%). Furthermore, nearly 4 in 10 of the shoppers who were aware of the promotions mentioned that it motivated them to buy watermelon (38%).

Importantly, the main message of the watermelon promotions was also successfully communicated – as nearly half of the consumers indicated that it was “trying to tell you that it’s a healthy choice” (48%), followed by – “it’s to control weight/to help you lose weight” (21%) – while better than 6 in 10 mentioned that the message is at least “somewhat important” (61%) and less than 2 in 10 who didn’t find it to be credible (19%). Notably, and just as important, watermelon perceptions are also positively impacted by the promotional activities – as 7 in 10 ofthe sample reported that the watermelon promotions “give watermelon a healthy image” (73%) and “is easy to understand” (72%), while 6 in 10 or more feel that it “has a clear message” (69%), “tells you something important” (66%), “is truthful” (65%) and “is appealing” (60%).

On the other hand, one area which can be improved upon is the extent to which the activities were considered “attention getting” – as fewer consumers credit it for being “eye-catching” (47%) and memorable (42%).

All in all, we recommend that the National Watermelon Promotion Board consider another Weight Watcher promotion in 2008, as the “Pick of the Season” campaign was quite successful, in terms of increasing awareness of watermelon health attributes, reinforcing watermelon imagery and motivating more consumers to purchase it – especially during the 3rd quarter of 2007.

DETAILED FINDINGS

AWARENESS OF WATERMELON BEING THE WEIGHT WATCHERS “PICK OF THE SEASON” THIS QUARTER

  • Two in 10 of the respondents who belong to Weight Watchers were aware that watermelon is Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” this quarter (21%).

Post-Wave
%
Yes / 21
No / 79
BASE* / (43)**

*Base:Post-wave respondents who belong to Weight Watchers.

**Caution: Small base size.

Q. 4.Are you aware that watermelon is Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” this quarter?

WHERE IT WAS LEARNED THAT WATERMELON IS THE WEIGHT WATCHERS “PICK OF THE SEASON” THIS QUARTER

  • Of those aware that watermelon is Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” (9 respondents), 7 learned about it by attending a Weight Watchers meeting or from a recipe card they received at a meeting (77%), while 1 saw it at weightwatchers.com (11%) and another indicated that someone told them about it (11%).

Post-Wave
%
At a Weight Watchers meeting/on a recipe card I received at a Weight Watchers meeting / 77
At weightwatchers.com / 11
Someone told me/word of mouth / 11
BASE* / (9)**

*Base:Post-wave respondents who belong to Weight Watchers and are aware that watermelon is Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” this quarter.

**Caution: Small base size.

Q. 5.And, where did you learn that watermelon is Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” this quarter?

RECALL RECEIVING A WATERMELON RECIPE CARD AT ANY WEIGHT WATCHERS MEETING IN PAST 3 MONTHS

  • Additionally, when asked if they recalled receiving a watermelon recipe card at a Weight Watchers meeting in the past three months, one-quarter of the respondents (who have attended Weight Watchers meetings in the past three months and were unaware of the “Pick of the Season” recipe card) remembered receiving it (27%).

Post-Wave
%
Yes / 27
No / 73
BASE* / (22)**

*Base:Post-wave respondents who have attended a Weight Watchers meeting in the last 3 months and are not aware of the “Pick of the Season” from a recipe card.

**Caution: Small base size.

Q. 6.Do you recall receiving a watermelon recipe card at any Weight Watchers meeting in the past 3 months?

ACTION TAKEN AFTER RECEIVING RECIPE CARD

  • Of those who received a recipe card (9 respondents), 4 of them expect to use the recipe card to create a dish with watermelon (44%), 3 don’t plan on using it (33%), while 2 have already used the recipe card to prepare a watermelon dish (22%).

Post-Wave
%
I plan on using the recipe card to create a dish with watermelon / 44
I don’t plan on using the recipe card / 33
I’ve already used the recipe card to prepare a watermelon dish / 22
BASE* / (9)**

*Base:Post-wave respondents who belong to Weight Watchers and have received a recipe card.

**Caution: Small base size.

Q. 7.Thinking about the recipe card that you received, which of the following describes your actions:

RECALL OF WATERMELON IN-STORE PROMOTIONS (UNAIDED)

  • Of those spontaneously aware of in-store promotions for watermelon, more than 8 in 10 remembered the price (pre-wave – 85% and post-wave – 84%) - - specifically that it was on sale/discounted (pre-wave – 57% and post-wave – 51%), while 55% of the pre-wave sample and 42% in the post-wave recalled seeing different types of watermelon, as about one-quarter remembered seeing seedless watermelon (pre-wave – 28% and post-wave – 25%), with more than 1 in 10 who mentioned personal watermelons/that they were small (pre-wave – 16% and post-wave – 14%). In addition, at least 3 in 10 played back that they noticed the display (pre-wave – 31% and post-wave – 39%), specifically the stand/bin/display (pre-wave – 16% and post-wave – 21%), as well as posters/signs (pre-wave – 11% and post-wave – 17%).

Pre-Wave
%
(a) / Post-Wave
%
(b)
Price (Net) / 85 / 84
Discounted price/on sale/sale price / 57 / 51
Types of watermelon (Net) / 55b / 42
Seedless watermelon / 28 / 25
Personal watermelons/they were small / 16 / 14
Whole watermelon / 10 / 5
Cut up watermelon / 6 / 3
Display (Net) / 31 / 39
On a stand/in a bin/a display of watermelons / 16 / 21
A poster/sign / 11 / 17
BASE* / (170) / (106)

*Base:Respondents who recalled seeing promotions for watermelon in a food/grocery store.

a-bSignificantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

Q. 3ab.You said that you recalled seeing promotions for watermelon in a food/grocery store. What exactly do you recall seeing? What else do you remember about the watermelon promotion that you saw in the food/grocery store? Anything else?

RECALL OF WATERMELON IN-STORE PROMOTIONS

  • Notably, when study participants were asked which specific watermelon promotions they remembered seeing in a food/grocery store, one-quarter mentioned signage (25%), 5% played back recipe cards, 3% Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” stickered bins”, 1% Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” stickered product, while 7 in 10 didn’t recall any (71%).

Post-Wave
%
Signage / 25
Recipe cards / 5
Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” stickered bins / 3
Weight Watchers “Pick of the Season” stickered product / 1
None of the above / 71
BASE / (507)

Q. 8.Which, if any, of the following types of promotions for watermelon do you remember seeing in a food/grocery store?

LIKELIHOOD OF PURCHASING WATERMELON AFTER SEEING IN-STORE PROMOTIONS

  • Positively, after respondents who were unaware of any in-store promotions were read a description of them, about one-half indicated that they are “much more” or “somewhat more” likely to buy watermelon (47%), with significantly more watermelon purchasers and Weight Watchers members who feel this way (purchasers – 51% vs. non-purchasers – 37% and members – 63% vs. non-members – 45%).

Post-Wave
% / Purchase
Watermelon
Yes
%
(a) / Purchase Watermelon
No
%
(b) / Weight Watchers
Member
%
(c) / Weight Watchers
Non-member
%
(d)
Top-2 Box / 47 / 51b / 37 / 63d / 45
Much more likely to purchase watermelon / 8 / 11b / 2 / 14 / 8
Somewhat more likely to purchase watermelon / 39 / 40 / 36 / 49 / 38
Neither more nor less likely to purchase watermelon / 51 / 47 / 59a / 33 / 52c
Bottom-2 Box / 3 / 2 / 4 / 5 / 2
Somewhat less likely to purchase watermelon / 1 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 1
Much less likely to purchase watermelon / 1 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 1
BASE / (507) / (338) / (169) / (43)* / (464)

a-dSignificantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

*Caution: Small base size.

Q. 9.And, do you think you would be more likely to purchase watermelon after seeing this/these in-store promotion(s)? Would you be…?

DID THE PROMOTION(S) MOTIVATE YOU TO PURCHASE WATERMELON

  • Moreover, nearly 4 in 10 of the consumers who were aware of the promotions claimed that it motivated them (38%), while not surprising, watermelon purchasers are significantly more likely to play this back vis-à-vis non-purchasers (43% vs. 21%), as well as more affluent respondents ($50K+ income) compared to those with an income of $50K or less (44% vs. 23%).

Post-Wave
% / Purchase
Watermelon
Yes
%
(a) / Purchase Watermelon
No
%
(b) / Income <$50K
%
(c) / Income $50K+
%
(d)
Yes / 38 / 43b / 21 / 23 / 44c
No / 62 / 57 / 79a / 77d / 56
BASE* / (149) / (116) / (33)** / (31)** / (90)

*Base:Post-wave respondents who are aware of the watermelon promotion.

**Caution: Small base size.

a-dSignificantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

Q. 10. Did the promotions(s) that you saw motivate you to purchase watermelon?

MAIN MESSAGE(S) OF THE WATERMELON PROMOTION

  • When asked what the watermelon promotion was trying to tell them, about half of the consumers reported that “it is healthy/watermelon is a healthy choice” (48%), while 2 in 10 mentioned – “eat watermelon for weight control/to lose weight” (21%). In addition, at lower levels, about 1 in 10 or more of the respondents indicated that the primary message was – “buy it/buy watermelon” (15%), “eat more watermelon” (13%), “Weight Watchers endorses/supports it” (13%), “eating watermelon is good for you” (13%), “it’s a good price” (10%) and “beauty queens eat it/they eat watermelon to be beautiful” (9%).

Post-Wave
%
It is healthy/watermelon is a healthy choice/healthy / 48
For weight control/(eat watermelon) to lose weight / 21
Buy it/buy watermelon / 15
Eat watermelon/eat more watermelon / 13
Weight Watchers endorses it/Weight Watchers approved/Weight Watchers supports it / 13
Good for you/eating watermelon is good for you / 13
Price/good price/sale price / 10
Beauty queens eat it/they have a watermelon queen/(eat watermelon) to be beautiful / 9
BASE / (507)

Q. 11.In your opinion, what is the watermelon promotion trying to tell you? Is there anything else the promotion is trying to say to you?

IMPORTANCE OF MESSAGE OF WATERMELON PROMOTION

  • Three-fifths of the respondentsagreed that the message communicated by the promotions was “extremely/very or somewhat” important to them (61%), with watermelon purchasers and female respondents more apt to feel this way than their counterparts(purchasers – 64% vs. non-purchasers – 54% and female – 64% vs. male – 51%).

Post-Wave
% / Purchase
Watermelon
Yes
%
(a) / Purchase Watermelon
No
%
(b) / Male
%
(c) / Female
%
(d)
Top-2 Box / 21 / 24b / 14 / 13 / 24c
Extremely important / 4 / 6b / 2 / 2 / 5
Very important / 16 / 18 / 12 / 11 / 18
Somewhat important / 40 / 40 / 40 / 38 / 40
Bottom-2 Box / 40 / 36 / 47a / 48d / 36
Not very important / 24 / 22 / 28 / 30d / 21
Not at all important / 16 / 15 / 19 / 18 / 15
BASE / (507) / (338) / (169) / (151) / (356)

a-dSignificantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

Q. 12.Thinking about the message the watermelon promotion is trying to communicate, how important is it to you personally? Is it…?

BELIEVABILITY OF MESSAGE OF WATERMELON PROMOTION

  • Two-fifths (44%) of the consumers also indicated that the message in the promotion was credible (“extremely” or “very” believable), with a significantly greater number of Weight Watchers members who feel this way (67%, compared to 42% for non-members). Additionally, watermelon purchasers and women were significantly more likely to find the watermelon promotion believable (extremely/very) compared to non-purchasers, as well as men (purchasers – 47% vs. non-purchasers – 38% and female – 48% vs. male – 34%).

Post-Wave
% / Purchase
Watermelon
Yes
%
(a) / Purchase Watermelon
No
%
(b) / Weight Watchers
Member
%
(c) / Weight Watchers
Non-member
%
(d) / Male
%
(e) / Female
%
(f)
Top-2 Box / 44 / 47b / 38 / 67d / 42 / 34 / 48e
Extremely believable / 6 / 7 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 3 / 8e
Very believable / 38 / 40 / 34 / 63d / 36 / 32 / 40
Somewhat believable / 37 / 37 / 37 / 26 / 38 / 46f / 34
Bottom-2 Box / 19 / 15 / 25a / 7 / 20c / 20 / 18
Not very believable / 13 / 12 / 17 / 5 / 14 / 14 / 13
Not at all believable / 5 / 4 / 8a / 2 / 6 / 6 / 5
BASE / (507) / (338) / (169) / (43)* / (464) / (151) / (356)

a-fSignificantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

*Caution: Small base size.

Q. 13.And, how believable is the message the watermelon promotion is trying to communicate to you? Is it…?

AGREEMENT (TOP-2 BOX) WITH STATEMENTS REGARDING THE WATERMELON PROMOTION

  • The majority of the study participants also agreed with the following statements as it relates to the watermelon promotion, as more than 7 in 10 indicated that the watermelon promotion “gives watermelon a healthy image” (73%) and “is easy to understand” (72%), with 6 in 10 or more who feel that it – “ has a clear message” (69%), “tells you something important” (66%), “is truthful” (65%) and “is appealing” (60%). Additionally, at least half of the respondents played back the following – “it gives you a good feeling about watermelon” (59%), “it is relevant to you” (52%) and “it fits with the way you think about watermelon” (52%).
  • At lower levels, more than 4 in 10 indicated that the watermelon promotion is “eye-catching/attention getting” (47%), “interesting” (45%), “memorable” (42%), “for someone like you” (42%) and “makes you want to buy watermelon” (41%), while at least 3 in 10 mentioned that it “makes you think about watermelon in a different way” (36%) and “tells you something new about watermelon” (32%). Encouragingly, only 8% found it to be “confusing”.
  • Watermelon purchasers and female respondents were significantly more apt to agree with most of the statements used to describe the watermelon promotion than non-purchasers and male consumers.

Post-Wave
% / Purchase
Watermelon
Yes
%
(a) / Purchase Watermelon
No
%
(b) / Male
%
(c) / Female
%
(d)
Gives watermelon a healthy image / 73 / 76b / 67 / 62 / 78c
Is easy to understand / 72 / 74 / 67 / 63 / 75c
Has a clear message / 69 / 72b / 62 / 64 / 71
Tells you something important / 66 / 72b / 56 / 58 / 70c
Is truthful / 65 / 68b / 58 / 60 / 67
Is appealing / 60 / 66b / 49 / 49 / 65c
Gives you a good feeling about watermelon / 59 / 66b / 44 / 48 / 64c
Is relevant to you / 52 / 59b / 37 / 40 / 57c
Fits with the way you think about watermelon / 52 / 61b / 36 / 32 / 61c
Is eye-catching/attention getting / 47 / 51b / 38 / 42 / 49
Is interesting / 45 / 50b / 36 / 32 / 51c
Is memorable / 42 / 47b / 31 / 31 / 46c
Is for someone like you / 42 / 47b / 33 / 30 / 47c
Makes you want to buy watermelon / 41 / 48b / 25 / 30 / 45c
Makes you think about watermelon in a different way / 36 / 40b / 30 / 33 / 38
Tells you something new about watermelon / 32 / 33 / 29 / 28 / 33
Is confusing / 8 / 7 / 11 / 9 / 8
BASE / (507) / (338) / (169) / (151) / (356)

a-dSignificantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

Q. 14. Thinking about this promotion, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements. Using a 5 point scale where a “1” means you “agree completely” and a “5” means you “disagree completely” how much do you agree or disagree that the promotion…You may use any number in between 1 and 5.

RECALL SEEING A WEIGHT WATCHERS COMMRECIAL FEATURING JENNY MCCARTHY

  • Nearly half of the sample recalled seeing a Weight Watchers commercial that features Jenny McCarthy (45%), with younger respondents (less than 46 years of age) significantly more likely to remember it compared to those who are older (at least 46 years old – 55% vs. 33%).

Post-Wave
% / Age
<46
(a) / Age
46+
(b)
Yes / 45 / 55b / 33
No / 55 / 45 / 67a
BASE / (507) / (274) / (233)

a-b Significantly different than corresponding subsample at the 95% confidence level.

Q. 15a.Also, do you remember seeing a Weight Watchers commercial featuring Jenny McCarthy?

RECALL JENNY MCCARTHY MENTIONING THAT SHE CAN EAT WATERMELON AS PART OF THE WEIGHT WATCHERS DIET

  • About 3 in 10 of the consumers who recalled seeing a Weight Watchers commercial featuring Jenny McCarthymentioned that she said “you can eat watermelon as part of the Weight Watchers diet” (29%).

Post-Wave
%
Yes / 29
No / 71
BASE* / (228)

*Base:Post-wave respondents who recall seeing a Weight Watchers commercial featuring Jenny McCarthy.

Q. 15b.Do you remember Jenny McCarthy mentioning that she can eat watermelon as part of the Weight Watchers diet?

LIKELIHOOD OF PURCHASING WATERMELON AFTER SEEING THIS COMMERCIAL

  • In fact, 3 in 10 (of those who recalled seeing a Weight Watchers commercial featuring Jenny McCarthy mentioning that she can eat watermelon as part of the Weight Watchers diet), indicated that they are “much more” or “somewhat more” likely to purchase watermelon (30%) after seeing the commercial, with 69% neither more nor less likely to buy it.

Post-Wave
%
Top-2 Box / 30
Much more likely to purchase watermelon / 4
Somewhat more likely to purchase watermelon / 25
Neither more nor less likely to purchase watermelon / 69
Bottom-2 Box / 1
Somewhat less likely to purchase watermelon / -
Much less likely to purchase watermelon / 1
BASE* / (67)

*Base:Post-wave respondents who recall seeing a Weight Watchers commercial featuring Jenny McCarthy mentioning that she can eat watermelon as part of the Weight Watchers diet.

Q. 15c.And, do you think you would be more likely to purchase watermelon after seeing this commercial? Would you be…?

BACKGROUND DATA

BELONG TO WEIGHT WATCHERS

  • Seven percent of the respondents belong to Weight Watchers.

Total
%
Yes / 7
No / 93
BASE / (1014)

Q. C.Do you belong to Weight Watchers?