Watching Weight and Watching Public Relations

This morning as I rushed into the lobby of my agency trying to beat the sign-in clock, I was approached by a woman, not unlike the woman portrayed above, carrying a stack of (what appeared to be) flyers.

"We're having a Weight Watchers meeting today in the building and you're welcome to come," she said. As if it made it more appealing, she added, "It's free."

While it wasn't just me, but rather a crowd of people (mainly women) waiting for the next elevator, I still found it rather in poor taste and avoided eye contact.

None of the women around me, including myself, were out of shape. None even appeared to be remotely overweight. In fact, one even looked like she'd benefit from consuming a few gallons of ice cream.

But while most people would get that she wasn't offering the invitation based on the invitees weight, you couldn't help but infer that that's what was intended. It's only a few steps removed from saying, "You're fat. Stop eating donuts."

I didn't really find it offensive so much as comical that a woman, mind you, would feel that other women would be thrilled to be invited to a Weight Watcher's seminar while angrily waiting for an elevator and flanked on either side by co-workers. To say that her timing was off would be an understatement.

I could imagine this scenario working out fine for, say The Emril Lagasse's school of cooking seminar, The Breast Cancer Society seminar, or The Good Housekeeping Magazine seminar. But to approach a group of women and ask that they attend a presentation about losing weight is just dumb.

I'm still trying to figure it out. Would I be able to do this? How could she not see the flagrant foul? She was walking toward a cliff and her intended audience wanted to shove her.

It's just another case in point for the struggle that is a brand. Kudos to Weight Watcher's for their new ad campaign. I dig it.

But BOO for whoever hired this lady.