With an innovative PR approach, Weight Watchers Germany strengthens its position in the market for healthy nutrition and lifestyle and thus underlines its authority as an expert in nutrition. The campaign for “Nutrition-IQ” is an example for how an intelligent agenda-setting strategy offers a new approach for the communication of products and corporate issues. With public relations measures, online instruments and events, Weight Watchers deals with the topic “nutritional intelligence” and acquires a prominent position in a relevant social field. The core of the campaign is an innovative nutrition test, which was developed by renowned nutrition experts together with Weight Watchers. More than 140,000 people in Germany have participated in the online test so far and improved their knowledge in the field of nutrition. Scientific experts evaluated the test results and communicated their scientific conclusions to the public. Rankings of the federal states and cities show where the people with the best nutrition knowledge live and where people need more assistance. Weight Watchers will award the cities with the highest Nutrition-IQ-score a prize and start Nutrition-IQ-weeks all over Germany.

The Nutrition IQ is promoted by way of public relations measures and the online platform www.ernaehrungs-iq.de. The campaign started on October 20th 2008 with the launch of the microsite. The German magazines FOCUS and FOCUS Online accompanied the launch. During the following weeks, the editorial sections for health and science of the national and regional newspapers, as well as women’s magazines were alerted to the Nutrition IQ. Give-aways and postcards were distributed by Weight Watchers leaders throughout Germany. The results of the trial were evaluated by nutritional experts, who also developed the test in 2008. In a press conference on February 12th 2009 in Berlin, the scientists and Weight Watchers presented the test results in the presence of German television teams and journalists. In the next few weeks the mayors of the ten German cities with the highest scores were awarded a prize by the Weight Watchers business managers.

Within the shortest possible time the Nutrition-IQ test attracted many participants from all over Germany: by March 2009 more than 140,000 people had tested their nutritional knowledge.The Nutrition-IQ test has been debated and discussed in many Internet forums and blogs. The term “IQ” in relation to nutrition has been established by Weight Watchers and was taken up by the media. Through coverage in national TV, print and online publications, Weight Watchers managed to establish itself as a competent partner for healthy nutrition with its clients as well as the broader public and relevant stakeholders. The Nutrition-IQ-campaign is a successful example of applying agenda-setting in the field of corporate communication.