1. AMEC International Communication Effectiveness Awards 2017
Slimming World
questions to

2. Slimming World Integrated Evaluation Framework
Appendix 1
To help as many people as possible to achieve their dream weight
To become the world’s leading authority in weight management
To build success through customer delight
Increase awareness of Slimming World
Increase positive reputation of Slimming World
Increase understanding of how Slimming World works
Increase purchase consideration of Slimming World for people who want to lose weight
Increase visits to the website
Increase number of people searching for their nearest group on the website
Increase in people joining Slimming World
Women aged 30-44
Women aged 16-29
Men aged 25-50
Mums with young children
Men who aren’t currently fitness enthusiasts
Women who aren’t currently fitness enthusiasts
Demonstrate effectiveness through:
Published research showing that people who set ambitious targets lose more weight
Success stories of members who have achieved their dream weight
How the eating plan works – through recipes and eating plans
Encouraging people to seek support for successful weight loss by offering free membership
Research of Slimming World members, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, showed people who set ambitious targets lose more weight. This study provided the basis for the ‘Dream Weight’ campaign, which featured an academic and Slimming World expert Dr Amanda Avery as a spokesperson and a case study story of a successful slimmer
Photocall events for ‘Mr Sleek’ and ‘Miss Slinky’ are attended by national media who hear how they have lost weight and transformed their life
Healthy recipe booklets and eating plans showing the freedom and flexibility of Slimming World’s programme are promoted to consumers through media partners including Daily Mirror, Daily Record and Reveal, while Woman, Bella and more featured eating plans and recipe extracts. Free membership offers are provided alongside all of these.
Post campaign launch:
607 articles
66% of UK adults reached (34,339,720 Adults)
Reach to men increased from 40% to 67%
58% of coverage featured a campaign key message
29% of coverage featured a spokesperson, an increase from 22%
35% of coverage featured a call to action, an increase from 19%
74% of people said they had read about Slimming World, with 54% saying they had read positive things
% of people with a good or very good knowledge of Slimming World increased from 27% to 35%
% of people saying that Slimming World had a positive reputation increased from 61% to 73%.
The biggest increase came from men, who went from a minority thinking Slimming World had a positive reputation (49%) to a clear majority (62%)
% of people associating Slimming World with ‘helping to achieve their dream weight’ increased from 56% to 68% with the biggest increases coming from men.
% of people who said they would be likely to use Slimming World to lose weight increased from 36% to 45%
8.1m sessions on the public website – almost double that achieved for same period in 2016
Dream weight research story achieved a peak of 1,108 website sessions on the 29th December and resulted in 94 group searches (giving an 8.5% conversion rate compared to average 0.25%)
Mr Sleek story achieved 2,712 sessions with 30 conversions (1.1% conversion rate compared to average 0.25%)
Miss Slinky story achieved 7,451 sessions with 61 conversions (0.81% conversion rate compared to average 0.25%)
17.86% increase year-on-year in the number of new members joining through reader offers in newspapers or consumer magazines
Significant increases in positive reputation among all audiences
% of people considering Slimming World for weight loss increased from around a third to a half
Record number of website sessions
Significant spikes in website conversion rate achieved through campaign stories. Conversion rate = website visitor who conducted ‘nearest group search’
Record number of new members joined through reader offers
Enabled Slimming World to identify the most effective media for achieving objectives and delivering strategic goals to increase reputation and attract new members.

3. Key reputation survey findings – Positive/negative news seen
Appendix 2
Question 2. To what extent have the things you have heard, seen or read about Slimming World been positive or negative?
Pre-campaign by income level
Post- campaign by income level
Less than £10k pa
£10k to £20k pa
£20k to £40k pa
Over £40k pa
Gorkana analysis results
Volume and favourability
Gorkana analysis insight
There was a significant increase in respondents who stated they believed ‘there have only really been positive things’ regarding Slimming World, or that ‘there have been more positive things than negative’, in the post campaign period – increasing from 41% to 54%.
When looking by income this change was particularly prominent among respondents earning less than £10k, with this proportion of respondents selecting this option growing by 21 percentage points. The likelihood of the public to have the organisation as a first choice to lose weight also grew, particularly among people earning between £10k and £20k per annum. The proportion of members of this group stating they would be highly likely to do so more than doubled, to over a fifth (22%) post-campaign.
The growth in positive perception and likelihood to use Slimming World’s products was reflected in the tonality of the coverage generated in both reporting periods, as the volume of positive coverage grew, by 352 articles, with the volume of strongly favourable content increasing by 287 pieces.
The impact of the increasing communications output was also noticeable in the proportion of the audience reached by items featuring Slimming World. People earning over £50k saw the highest increase, with the reach increasing by 27 percentage points for this group. This result was driven by coverage featured in the Daily Mail and The Sun, read by 23% and 26% of the first audience, which featured the campaign in case studies.
Audience reach

4. Key reputation survey findings – Familiarity/Awareness
Appendix 3
Question 1. How familiar are you with Slimming World?
Percentage of all UK adults reached
Gorkana Reach:
The reach to all UK adults increased significantly in the post campaign period, with a 15% increase overall.
This was boosted by campaign coverage appearing in widely read titles.
Gorkana analysis insight:
Coverage related to the ‘Dream Weight’ campaign peaked on 29th December, the date of the campaign launch. National print titles were the top media type to feature the campaign, with high readership publications including The Sun and The Daily Mail discussing the Slimming World obesity study in strongly favourable tones. The company’s website received 1,108 entry sessions, with an 8.48% conversion rate generated by this campaign.
Gorkana analysis insight:
OTS peaked on 10 January, owing to strongly favourable coverage related to the ‘Mr Sleek 2017’ awards, originally featured on Mail Online and in the Daily Mirror, both widely read titles.
Gorkana analysis results
Volume and OTS over time
Key takeaway:
Those with a good/high level of familiarity of Slimming World’s products and services increased five percentage points over the period from 27% to 35%.
This followed the launch of the ‘Dream Weight’ campaign on 29 December, which kick-started the surge in PR activity, as seen below.

5. Key reputation survey findings – Reputation of Slimming World
Appendix 4
Question 3. Where do you place the reputation of Slimming World?
Key takeaway:
The highly positive perception of Slimming World increased by 14 percentage points, as indifference towards the brand decreased by 10, following the proactive communications activities over the Christmas period.
When combined, the % of people saying that Slimming World has a (very or slightly) positive reputation increased from 61% to 73%.
The biggest increase came from men who went from a minority thinking SW had a positive reputation (49%) to a clear majority (62%).
This correlates with an additional 27 percentage point increase in reach to men in comparison to women in the post campaign period.
Audience reach
Gorkana analysis insight
Coverage for the ‘Mr Sleek 2017’ awards reached a peak on January 10th, seeing 5 articles. These were driven by Liam Smith’s weight-loss journey, discussed in high- readership titles such as Mail Online and BT Online. The articles commented that Mr Smith had been named Mr Sleek 2017, noting he had “dropped from 19st to 13st”, and had become a Slimming World consultant following his success. This content reached 17% of the UK adult population, and generated 2,712 sessions on the Slimming World website, with a conversion rate of 1.1%.
The reach to males also increased, by over a quarter (27 percentage points) in the second reporting period, led by reports of the campaign appearing in the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph (23% and 14% of this audience reads these titles daily).