Minneapolis agency Solve has broken new ground in the weight loss category with its campaign for Medifast, based in Owings Mills, MD. The campaign, which launched via national television on January 1, features three people having conversations with themselves at two different points in their weight loss journey.

 

In an industry where the three leading brands lean heavily on celebrity weight loss endorsers and vanity appeals, Solve recommended Medifast use real people to demonstrate the effectiveness of its products. Rather than focus on only the physical aspects of weight loss, the agency wanted to tap the aspirations and motivations of people aspiring to lose weight. “Instead of using the typical one-dimensional before- and-after approach, we set off to capture a deeper, more compelling story,” said Eric Sorensen, Solve Creative Director. “The idea was to show the true, unscripted feelings a person experiences as they evolve into the individual they want to be,” added Sorensen.

 

 

 

 

 

To master the technical challenges of having a person talk to themselves at different times, Solve tapped Director Jorn Haagen of Assembly Films in New York. The individuals were initially shot in Los Angeles in January, 2012 and then shot at the same location in September, after eight months on the Medifast program. “It was a painstaking effort to match the scenes and dialogue to create a believable conversation,” said Hans Hansen, Solve Creative Director. “We were entering uncharted territory and were fortunate to have brave clients at Medifast, willing to take a totally fresh and honest approach,” Hansen added.

 

The new campaign is grounded in the “Become Yourself” tagline, which optimistically encourages people to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, open their lives and transform into their true selves. The campaign includes :30 and :60 television, a website trailer, digital content, social and print components and will run throughout 2013.