Slimming World – Brand Insight Partnership

Since 2019 we have partnered with Slimming World as their new brand insight partner, with the aim of developing a best-in-class brand insight programme and brand tracker.

Covid-19 created a huge challenge for the company with lockdown meaning the temporary suspension of weekly groups. In response, Slimming World innovatively transitioned their face-to-face groups to temporary virtual groups.

This led to a more pressing requirement for insights exploring:

• How their members’ weight loss journeys were impacted by lockdown and further insight around members attitudes towards eating and drinking as well as food shopping
• Feedback on members’ experience of virtual group including why they joined and what they get from group
• Perceptions around the value of membership
• Perceptions on how Slimming World have operated during the pandemic
• Insight around members’ attitudes towards refocussing and getting back to group (expectations, worries, needs)

To tackle these objectives, we devised a comprehensive but swift research solution to deliver findings in a timely manner to ensure the project helped to guide upcoming communications and members returning to real-life group.

The methodology included an online survey with members and a series of telephone depth interviews. This allowed us to quantify core metrics around perceptions towards the brand, satisfaction of virtual groups and future needs, while delving into the why behind these ideas and the unique stories of members from many walks of life.

We worked collaboratively, using an iterative reporting process and knowledge of the brand developed through workshopping days at head office to refine a final strategy report, which we presented to the Slimming World board.