Biggest Loser Brand Wins Despite NY Times Expose

Most reality television shows consider it a success simply to be rewarded with a second season. Not The Biggest Loser. The NBC show is a reality weight-loss competition, on national TV in the US, that pits morbidly obese contestants against one another for a huge cash prize -- the underlying, feel-good real prize, of course, being their improved health. And the show has exploded with brand extensions.

But will recent negative news hurt the show, and thus, the brand?

The feel-good melodrama of the show, its relentless sentimentality, has made The Biggest Loser a programming hit -- not to mention a growing health-and-fitness consumer brand that generates an estimated $100 million per year. There are Biggest Loser drink mixes, exercise balls, cook books and much more. There is even the Biggest Loser Club, a sort of social media site for the health and weight-loss conscious.

The success of this empire -- the show itself and all the branded products -- depends upon the perception that it is a success. That is to say, people believe in the Biggest Loser brand because they believe the show's narrative. So what happens when a major news story reveals the show to be a little less than forthright?Continue reading...