Cover Search
A new USN Face of Fitness is crowned
Cape Town-based fitness model and competitive bikini athlete, Nastassia Jaffa has been crowned the 2010 USN Face of Fitness and graces the cover of the January/February 2011 issue of Fitness magazine.
“This is the fifth year that we have run the Face of Fitness cover model search competition, and it has grown tremendously, both in popularity and in the number of entries received, during this time,” explains Tanja Carruthers, editor of Fitness magazine. “This year has definitely been the biggest and most exciting competition to date, as we introduced a new format that the contestants really enjoyed and has ensured the competition has kept evolving to remain interesting and relevant.”
Nastassia Jaffa is the 2010 USN Face of Fitness cover model search
As a departure from previous years, voting for the finalists was opened up to the public via the Fitness magazine website. “The judging panel, which included fitness editorial staff and representatives from our title sponsors, Ultimate Sports Nutrition (USN), selected our top 20 contestants from all of the entrants,” explains Carruthers. “We then opened up online voting for readers and the general public so that they could show their support their favourite contestants. We chose to do this as we wanted to make the competition more interactive and get more of our readers to participate in the competition, even if they hadn’t entered. It also gave us the opportunity to see how many of the girls were willing to promote themselves via their social networks and on other online platforms to help increase the reach of the competition.”
Due to the quality and number of entries the top 20 competitors were then reduced to six, following the results of the online voting and input from the judging panel. The final six contestants were then hosted in Johannesburg for a few days, to undergo interviews and participate in a full day cover studio shoot. “We decided to select the winner based on the photos we got from the shoot, as it levelled the playing field and gave everyone a fair chance to win,” continues Carruthers. “This also gave us and USN the chance to meet and interact with the girls and learn more about their personalities. This was an important element as they will be ambassadors for both companies over the course of 2011.”
After an actioned packed few days, where the girls got to experience the life of a fitness cover model, culminating in the full day swimsuit and workout gear photo shoot, the judges had the difficult task of selecting the 2010 USN Face of Fitness winner. After a great deal of deliberation the judging panel finally selected Nastassia Jaffa as the eventual winner. “Nastassia is a seasoned competitive athlete and had the quintessential bikini physique we were looking for in the competition,” says Rion Goosen, head of sponsorships at USN. “She is also very knowledgeable about proper training, nutrition and supplementation, which are important traits in any brand ambassador. We plan to use Nastassia in a number of marketing campaigns in 2011 and look forward to what she can do for the brand.”
Due to the success of the 2010 competition USN have confirmed their participation in the 2011 competition as title sponsor, extending their sponsorship for a fifth consecutive year. “We have big plans to make the USN Face of Fitness even better in 2011, so we are very happy to have our long-term partners, and arguably the biggest name in local supplementation, backing the competition again,” continues Carruthers. “We will also be looking for other sponsors to get involved in the 2011 competition, as this well-established and very popular brand extension has a great following in this niche market segment, so we are confident that it will deliver great value through the brand association to any sponsor.“
Promotional material and information for the 2011 USN Face of Fitness will appear in the March/April 2011 issue of Fitness magazine, which goes on sale on 28 February, and on the www.fitnessmag.co.za website.
In just five years the Face of Fitness cover model search has grown tremendously, both in popularity and in the number of entries received. With well over a hundred ladies entering the competition, this year has been the biggest to date.
After an action packed couple of days, which included interviews, a dinner function and a full day swim and workout gear shoot, the judges set off on the difficult task of selecting the 2010 USN face of Fitness Winner. Return soon for the winner announcement and profiles on all top 6 entrants.
