Oprah was the first recent celebrity to be a game-changer for the Weight Watchers brand, increasing its visibility and stock price along with its customer base. Now, the diet company has added DJ Khaled to its stable of endorsers, and once again watched its stock price boost 8% in only one day.
Music mogul Khaled will represent Weight Watchers as a social media ambassador, including documenting his experience and progress on Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The announcement was made on Monday January 1st, and the company’s stock price rose on Tuesday.
Khaled brings a huge following to the table, with 3.4 million followers on Facebook, 8.9 million on Instagram, and 3.9 million on Twitter. He’s very active on Snapchat, and posts frequently about his personal life, which interested Weight Watchers and prompted them to reach out, according to Fortune Magazine.
"Weight Watchers is all about being great and being your best self. My son is my love, my life, and I need to be great for him," said DJ Khaled in a statement. "To be great is to be healthy; to be healthy means a shift in my lifestyle, and the new WW Freestyle program is all about healthier habits for my life.”
The company has had success in partnering with influential people, attracting new customers and boosting its stock price back in 2015 when it announced a partnership with Oprah Winfrey. Weight Watchers stock was trading at $7 a share in October 2015, which doubled in a single day after the announcement. Since then, the stock has grown more than 574%, including almost 300% in 2017 according to Business Insider.
DJ Khaled will be working with a Weight Watchers coach to reach his diet goals, along with using the WW Freestyle Guide mobile app Weight Watchers introduced. WW Freestyle incorporates its SmartPoints system along with fitness goals to achieve an overall healthier lifestyle. Recently, the company added more than 200 foods to its “zero points” label, allowing customers more flexibility with meal planning and to encourage healthier food choices. Some zero points foods include eggs, beans, chicken, corn, seafood and tofu.
"DJ Khaled has an incredibly authentic drive and passion to inspire others through his wellness journey and experiences on WW Freestyle," said Mindy Grossman, Weight Watcher’s President and Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. "Being healthier is not just about weight anymore. It's about overall health and wellness—being your best self.”
