Survival of the Fittest

Two weeks into my "bikini diet" and I've lost 2lbs and the will to munch dry lettuce leaves, however it did get me thinking about diet guru Rosemary Conley who has been in the news discussing her business empire going into administration. After 21 years of successfully championing her wares to the slimmers of the UK, she lost ground due to new competitor diets and digital channels. She admits her mistakes in not considering the impact of apps and fitness gaming but it is too late for the staff who will be losing their jobs and the business creditors.

Rosemary has made a deal with a healthcare products firm to create apps and websites offering fitness and weight loss advice and has secured 100 of her franchisees offering fitness classes. The business may not have collapsed if social trends had been observed and the environment constantly reviewed and scanned for changes. The organisation should have entered the online market sooner, and countered the claims of effectiveness by other diets such as the Atkins, the 5:2, paleo and clean eating. This is an industry where slimmers are constantly chasing quick fixes and methods that really work! Let's face it, dieting is boring and following the same plan over a long period of time can be unmotivating - innovation is key to mix it up, otherwise customers will go elsewhere particularly if they are promised it works like magic! If you look at the core product concept - what is it that this product does for customers - you are selling transformation. And that's a powerful point.

In a competitive marketplace, where running costs need to be lean and organisations need to find faster and more profitable routes to market, running the headquarters of the food and fitness company in a beautiful stately home in Leicestershire was not the best way to gain a financial advantage and this is now set to close.

Obesity and health-related conditions are forecast to continue growing so this market is sustainable. In this case, the business model failed because competitive advantage was lost, costs were not reviewed, and customer needs and changes in their behaviour were not observed or taken seriously. In this business case, it was Rosemary Conley who lost the pounds, not her customers!