• by Tanya Gazdik , December 3, 2009

Jenny Craig, Inc. is enlisting actress Sara Rue as the newest Jenny Craig celebrity client and spokesperson.

Following in the footsteps of Jenny Craig spokespeople like Valerie Bertinelli, Phylicia Rashad and Queen Latifah, Rue will appear in Jenny Craig's new advertising campaign that launches in January -- just in time to reach those making their New Year's resolutions to lose weight.

Bertinelli is under contract through 2010 and will appear in ads with Rue, according to a Jenny Craig spokesperson.

Jenny Craig representatives declined to discuss the company's marketing strategy, but Rue, 31, is the youngest Jenny Craig celebrity spokesperson to date, and may have been chosen to appeal to a younger audience.

"Jenny Craig has always appealed more to the middle-aged (35-45) housewife crowd, so the company has been trying to capture a younger customer," John LaRosa, a diet industry analyst and president of Marketdata Enterprises in Tampa, Fla., tells Marketing Daily. "That's why they hired Valerie Bertinelli."

The timing of the ad is not coincidental, LaRosa adds.

"All the diet companies ramp up the ads heavily a few days before the New Year, related to resolutions to lose weight," he says. "January is the biggest sign-up month for diet programs and health clubs, although March and April can be big months, too."

Rue, who has starred in sitcoms, theater and film, is hoping to lose 30 pounds on the diet plan. A self-proclaimed yo-yo dieter, Rue has battled weight issues all her life. Growing up in the spotlight as a childhood actress, she took on many roles in which the character had a weight issue in the storyline.

"Losing this weight goes beyond just what it will mean physically," Rue said in a statement "It's about establishing emotional stability in my life. My hope is that my story may inspire other women who are facing similar battles to seek help and take control."

Rue is best known as Claudia Casey on the sitcom "Less Than Perfect" and Carmen Ferrara on the comedy-drama "Popular." Recently she has appeared in the ABC's "Eastwick."

Carlsbad, Calif.-based Jenny Craig has more than 700 company-owned and franchised centers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico.