• by Tanya Gazdik , January 3, 2008

Just in time to reach New Years' resolution dieters, Medifast, Inc. is launching a multifaceted ad campaign featuring actresses Genie Francis and Kristy Swanson.

The campaign, created in-house, will include TV, print and Web banner ads. Spending was not disclosed.

New print ads featuring Francis' success on the Medifast 5&1 Plan will run in major national publications this month such as People Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens and US Weekly. The ads will also feature customer testimonials.

The TV spots broke earlier this week and were posted on YouTube and Medifast's MySpace and Facebook pages Wednesday, says Jaime Elwood, vice president of marketing/communications, Medifast, Inc.

Francis and Swanson are featured in separate ads--and one of Swanson's ads will also feature her mother, Rosemary, who has lost more than 20 pounds on the Medifast program.

As part of the open-ended campaign, the actresses will continue to share their personal weight-loss journeys with Medifast customers on ChooseMedifast.com. The site feature interactive journals, chats, meal plans and updated photo galleries from both stars. Medifast clients have been following Genie's progress on the Medifast program at the Web site where she writes an online blog and has participated in live chats on the Web site to interact with Medifast clients.

Medifast will launch a new Web site by mid-January, Elwood says. It will provide easier navigation for customers and more health-related content, as well as greater customization of orders and ease of use. It was created in-house with the help of a consultant, Elwood says.

Francis--best known for her role as "Laura" on the soap opera "General Hospital," signed on with the Owings Mills, Md.-based weight loss company in May and has reached her weight-loss goal of losing 30 pounds. The actress-turned-interior designer said she has been trying to lose weight since having her second child.

On "General Hospital," Laura's 1981 TV wedding to "Luke" drew the largest daytime audience in history. Francis left the show in 1982, but a story line resurrected her character briefly last year. Swanson, who has lost 27 pounds on Medifast, is best-known for her role as "Buffy" from the 20th Century Fox movie, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She signed on with the company in the fall. Founded in 1980, Medifast sells its products and programs via four channels: the Web and national call centers, a national network of physicians, medically supervised Medifast Weight Control Centers, and the Take Shape For Life direct-selling division, a network of health coaches.