Madison Avenue Discovers People with Obesity

In an unexpected turn, companies are beginning to seek people with obesity to represent their brands in ads. According to USA Today in a front page story, brands like Nike and Subway are going beyond than the usual casting agency model to find actors who better resonate with under-represented segments of the U.S. population, segments who have traditionally been ignored in advertising. According to the article, since two of three Americans have excess weight or obesity, more people can connect to actors who share this condition, and smart marketers are using them as images for change.

You can read the USA Today article and watch some of the ads here.