APPLEBEE'S TO ROLL OUT WEIGHT-WATCHER'S MENU

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Applebee's International and Weight Watchers International have agreed to a five-year licensing agreement to develop and market a Weight Watchers-branded section on the menus of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants. Points program The seven- to 10-item menu will offer Related Stories: DO CONSUMERS REALLY CARE ABOUT TRANS FAT? Food Marketers Maneuver to Keep Low Profile on Issue WAL-MART MUSCLES MARKETERS TOWARD LOW-CAL FOODS Wants New Products to Address National Obesity Concerns FAT FIGHT SLIMS DOWN FAST-FOOD MARKETING Chains Take Action to Project a Health-Conscious Image The two companies, which were in talks for a year, will jointly develop the menu and marketing around "great tasting and good-for-you" foods," said John Cywinski, chief marketing officer for Applebee's. The companies plan to launch items in test markets later this year with a national roll out by the second half of 2004. Second attempt Mr. Cywinski said Applebee's had a dedicated low-fat menu in the 1990s, which was discontinued in 2000. "Back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was popular for consumers to say in research that they had an interest in healthier fare but what they'd do ... would be very different and it didn't often translate into business results," said Mr. Cywinski. "We feel we're in a different era ... as people are more weight conscious and interested in health." The companies plan to back the menu with a full range of marketing support that is still to be developed and tested and the budget is pending the outcome of the tests. "[Marketing] will be comprehensive, and at some point next year it will be national," Mr. Cywinski said. Sarah Ferguson One part of the marketing that is known is that Weight Watcher's spokeswoman of five years, Sarah Ferguson, will not be part of the promotion of the Applebee's menu. "We don't anticipate her being part of this," said Steve Marlowe, general manager of licensing at Weight Watchers.

APPLEBEE'S TO ROLL OUT WEIGHT-WATCHER'S MENU

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