'Buffet Boy' Is Not on Your Weight Loss Team

He's one high-calorie character

Yesterday, a gold-plated King Tut flashed across our screens, and we figured he was the most outlandish ad character we’d encounter in commercials this week.

Then we met Buffet Boy.

Hyping Numan, a provider of weight-loss meds in the U.K., this dude’s got creamy-cake fingers, pasty shoulder pads and what might be smoked meat taped to his chest. Prawn epaulets? Classy!

He’s less OTT than a certain brand-boosting Egyptian pharaoh. Still, BB’s one ominous, freaky foodie:

Buffet Boy looks sweaty, unhealthy. Though maybe that’s just a honey glaze.

Per Numan, this walking smorgasbord “personifies the constant tug-of-war with food,” and MJZ director Steve Ayson strove to “take a provocative, surreal approach to spotlight how medication can assist those who need it in their weight loss journey while living in a world that encourages us to overeat.”

“We keep blaming individuals, not the system. It’s time we change the narrative.”

Of course, the obesity topic’s highly charged, and this approach might not be to everyone’s taste. Even so, like Tut, the work makes an exceptionally strong visual impression that could prove memorable for the brand.

But for now, it’s an open question whether Mr. Buffet will be coming back for seconds.