Now I think I get it.

After watching this promo video for the new Withings WS-30 wireless scale, I understand why there are so many mobile and wireless health and fitness products aimed at the young and hip. It doesn't take a degree in marketing to figure out that young, toned bodies move product better than old, sick ones, so it should come as no surprise that the Withings video features a healthy-looking, fit couple trying to shed a couple of extra pounds.

The video made me think of this gem from a Harley-Davidson executive that management guru Tom Peters likes to share during his speaking engagements: "What we sell is the ability for a 43-year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him."

In other words, according to Peters, Harley doesn't merely sell motorcycles, it sells a lifestyle. Withings is selling a lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle that shows such as "The Biggest Loser" have shown are attainable for many a former couch potato.

The WS-30, unveiled not in a health IT setting but at the just-concluded IFA Berlin consumer electronics trade show, features weight and BMI calculation, both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to Apple iOS and Android mobile apps and, if you're bold enough to share your weight on Facebook and Twitter, automatic links to social media. Those are the kinds of options that appeal to tech-savvy people of all ages and conditions.

Why did Withings pick IFA Berlin? Probably for the same reason BodyMedia trotted out celebrity spokesperson Jillian Michaels – as featured on "The Biggest Loser" – at last winter's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: critical mass. IFA Berlin, which wrapped up Wednesday, was expecting about 240,000 visitors over six days, or more than six times the attendance of HIMSS.

Do you think that many people show up to learn about treating obesity, heart disease or diabetes? Not a chance. But billions watched the world's greatest athletes compete at the recent London Olympics and you can be sure many millions dreamt about someday being on that stage. General Electric, a worldwide Olympic sponsor, created HealthyShare, its own social app on Facebook, around the London Games to encourage people to get off the couch – ironic, I know – and get in the game.

Seeing statistics about healthcare spending won't get people to adopt healthy ways like top athletes such as current and former U.S. gold medalists Alex Morgan (soccer), Kevin Durant (basketball), Michael Johnson (track and field) and Summer Sanders (swimming) can. Following the Harley model, all those mobile health companies seem to be trying to sell a lifestyle.