Meredith Integrated Marketing (MIM), a division of Meredith Corp., kicked off its stint as Jenny Craig Inc.’s direct marketing AOR with a direct mail piece earlier this month.
The agency officially started work for Jenny Craig in March, following a formal RFP and a three-month review of several direct marketing agencies. MIM has been charged with the task of halting attrition from the Jenny Craig program and enticing clients to return. Jenny Craig chose MIM partly due to its experience marketing to women, especially in regards to health and wellness concerns.
“Meredith Integrated Marketing was selected based on the strength of its brand, expertise in the direct marketing arena, and grasp of the unique nuances in attracting and retaining Jenny Craig clients,” explained Clarice Calvin, CRM analyst for Jenny Craig.
In a direct marketing push scheduled for June, MIM’s creative work will focus on the Jenny Craig “Ideal size” message and celebrity client Queen Latifah. The offer will be tested against three other concepts. Calvin said the company will be testing variable data printing and personalized URLs in the near future as well.
“One-to-one communication is a category advantage that Jenny Craig enjoys, and our direct marketing needs to reflect the same individualized attention we provide our clients at our Jenny Craig Centres and through our at-home Jenny direct program,” she noted.
Jenny Craig has been engaged in direct marketing for nearly 20 years, with a heavy focus on DRTV spots and strategic use of Valpak mailings. The company has worked with MIM before, on a “Very best baby” program for parent company Nestlé.
Protocol Integrated Direct Marketing had served as the weight loss company’s former direct agency. Calvin cited a need for “ongoing innovation” as a reason behind the agency change.
Jenny Craig will continue its work with YRB/Irvine — just tapped for its DRTV expertise last December — along with The New Group, Harte-Hanks Postfuture and Harte-Hanks Interactive.
Meredith Integrated Marketing’s other clients include Nestlé USA, Gerber, DirecTV and American Suzuki.
