Peloton Holiday Ad Draws Criticism

It’s the holiday season and I’ve been featuring holiday ads from the big brands quite a bit…hopefully not to exhaustion. But I can’t get enough of them. The nostalgia, the emotion, the anticipation.

And in some cases, the drama. Peloton (as in the fitness bike) released its Holiday 2019 advert just recently and it immediately got some folks shaking their heads, throwing some shade, and questioning the logic of the storytelling. Take a look at “The Gift that Gives Back:”

Everyone should be their own judge, that’s what branding and marketing is all about. And everyone should feel free to post their thoughts on social media. Which is what many did. Many accused the brand of portraying sexism and privilege. CNN breaks it down here. The “news” also made the rounds of many of the US-based morning/daytime talk shows.

After hearing about the criticism, I viewed the spot for the first time with my marketing class last night at NYU. We honestly didn’t immediately see it, but upon reflection and dissection, we started to piece together the pieces that could lead to the commentary. Understood.

Or is this simply just targeting? Or is it simply an insight from someone who is a member of the community that Peloton is trying to create?

The lesson learned here? One person’s take on aspiration, determination, and motivation may not be another’s. To be sure a brand is getting it right, do some research on your marketing elements to be sure it’s the take your going for. And that it’s appealing specifically to YOUR target audience. Oh, and details matter because they will get dissected today.

What’s your take? What’s your experience? JIM

PS - For those of you who don’t know where the term “Peloton” comes from, its meaning is “a group of cyclists in a race” who essentially pack together to draft off of the wind and off of each other. Interesting.