A holiday commercial from Peloton — creator of exercise equipment that allows users to stream and participate in live fitness classes — has been harshly criticized for being “sexist” and “dystopian,” according to The New York Times.
People hated it so much, Peloton lost $942 million in market value in a single day.
If you haven’t seen the ad, watch it here. Basically, it follows a woman through her yearlong journey of cycling classes after her husband gifts here a Peloton bike. Parodies have popped up left and right and people have taken to social media to vent their immense hatred for the ad.
I’ll come out and say it: I am not offended by that Peloton ad — at all. I jokingly told my boyfriend that if he wanted to buy me a $4,300 Peloton Tread, I’d be all about it. (You shouldn’t, though, Todd, because we could go on a nice vacation for that kind of money.) But that’s because I’m a runner, who recently started loving treadmill classes (shoutout to Formula Running Center!), and absolutely hates running outside during those frigid winter days we get in the D.C. area. It would be an incredibly thoughtful, albeit incredibly expensive, gift.
Much like the character in the ad, I have been that person reluctantly waking up at the crack of dawn to go for a run (or, in her case, a ride). She’s not miserable and being forced like some slave to exercise, like some people have suggested. She’s like the rest of us; she understands it’s tough to drag yourself out of bed to exercise. (Pillows > most anything.) I’ve also been the person getting all sorts of emotional about how much running has changed me. Granted, I didn’t insist of making a video about it, but my reflections have been pretty cheesy and deep.
But then again, I’m the key demographic for that ad. Maybe a little lower on the target HHI, but otherwise, I’m the target demo. I get what Peloton was trying to achieve. Trying being the key word there.
Regardless if I’m the key demographic or not, I also work in PR, so I understand how that ad could have blown up in Peloton’s (very shocked) faces. A simple “I know how much you love cycling” from the husband at the beginning of the ad could have helped set the tone they wanted to convey, rather than a “he wants her to lose weight” vibe. Or even swapping the wife for the husband; let her gift him the Peloton. Minor adjustments to the ad concept could have saved the company a whole lot of trouble.
Peloton also did a poor job of responding to the backlash. It’s only going to anger people more when you say, “we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted the commercial.” That’s like saying, “Sorry not sorry!” or “It’s not our problem that you didn’t get it.” A more appropriate response would have been to recognize how the ad could have been misinterpreted, say you’re sorry, and move on.
Overall, analysts don’t believe the ad will cause long-term damage to the brand. Which is a good thing, because I still would love a Peloton Tread.
