​Lean Cuisine blocks the word diet in new post-holiday ad campaign

With post-holiday dieting messages in full swing, Lean Cuisine has launched an adblocking campaign to eliminate diet and weight loss messages and put the focus on healthier eating options.

To filter out the high density flow of dieting chatter consumers are exposed to in January, Lean Cuisine’s Google Chrome extension is replacing words such as ‘diet’ and ‘dieting’ with an orange rectangle.

“On TV, it mutes the word diet so you can focus on what really matters, and in Google Chrome, you filter the word diet, so we put it to good use with a donation to Girl’s Leadsership,” the video campaign announced.

The campaign is part of Lean Cuisine’s #Weighthis campaign run by digital and social agency, 360i. According to 360i, the new program signals the company’s rebranding efforts to evolve perceptions away from being a diet brand. Other efforts include all new advertising campaigns, fresh packaging and new meal options.

The announcement follows recent finding by global information company, the NPD group, which revealed that while each New Year is ushered in with diet ads to encourage weight loss resolutions, US consumers simply prefer living healthier lifestyles as opposed to restricting their habits with dieting.

The report, Eating Patterns in America, found consumers define their own diets by putting more focus on the authenticity and purity of the foods they eat. The report also revealed dieting among US consumers has been declining over the last decade and consumers who are on a diet prefer to get creative in defining what aspects of diets work for them and their schedules.

“This may not come as the best news for the dieting industry but consumers are looking for authenticity and simplicity as part of a healthy lifestyle, which, to them, has more ‘staying power’ than diets or fads,” said NPD food and beverage analysts, Darren Seifter.

“To ensure future growth, food marketers will need to make sure to promote the fresh or natural elements of products to reflect consumer need for authenticity.”

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