A controversial ad for Peloton InteractiveB次元官网网址檚 expensive stationary bike is unlikely to dampen the companyB次元官网网址檚 holiday sales, and may actually boost them thanks to increased publicity, experts say.
B次元官网网址淚 would actually say itB次元官网网址檚 going to have a positive affect on the companyB次元官网网址檚 line,B次元官网网址� said David Soberman, a professor of marketing at the University of TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Rotman School of Management, speaking of PelotonB次元官网网址檚 Christmas ad.
The New York-city based company best known for its stationary bike offers a B次元官网网址渂asics packageB次元官网网址� which costs $2,950 for the bike, warranty, delivery and set up, according to its website. Shoes, accessories and a monthly membership that offers live classes via a video feed cost extra.
The advertisement, which was released in November but went viral on social media this month, depicts a husband giving his wife a Peloton bike for Christmas. She proceeds to record her exercise journey over the course of a year B次元官网网址� first hesitantly joining a live class through the screen on her bike and eventually starting to cycle consistently. At the end, the couple sit on a couch watching a video the wife made of her journey, which concludes: B次元官网网址淎 year ago, I didnB次元官网网址檛 realize how much this would change me. Thank you.B次元官网网址�
Critics slammed the ad as sexist, claiming the husbandB次元官网网址檚 gift of an exercise machine insinuates that his wife is out of shape.
The video received about 20,000 downvotes and 16,000 thumbs up on PelotonB次元官网网址檚 YouTube channel. Comments under the video were turned off. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
READ MORE:
Soberman said itB次元官网网址檚 not a bad ad, though it fails to show the true value of the product by not demonstrating clearly what difference it made in the womanB次元官网网址檚 life over the course of the year.
But it doesnB次元官网网址檛 strike Soberman as offensive.
B次元官网网址淚 think one of the things that actually occurs in social media is that you can get a reaction from people who are not necessarily in your target market,B次元官网网址� he said, arguing PelotonB次元官网网址檚 target demographic B次元官网网址� intense exercise buffs B次元官网网址� wonB次元官网网址檛 find the spot problematic, but will like it.
This group will recognize fitness isnB次元官网网址檛 just about appearance and weight, he said, but can be measured on many other seemingly invisible metrics, like endurance. They wonB次元官网网址檛 be dismayed by an ad in which a thin woman receives a piece of exercise equipment and appears visibly unchanged after a year.
A truly offensive ad, he said, would upset even those within a companyB次元官网网址檚 target demographic.
He recalls widespread outrage to a Nivea ad with the phrase: B次元官网网址淲hite is purity.B次元官网网址� The company apologized and pulled the ad.
The negative response to PelotonB次元官网网址檚 ad seems to be overblown, said Alan Middleton, a marketing professor at York UniversityB次元官网网址檚 Schulich School of Business in Toronto.
Some of the backlash centres on the gender roles, with the men bestowing the bike to his wife, he said.
But women appear to compose the companyB次元官网网址檚 target demographic, Middleton noted, citing the companyB次元官网网址檚 other ads and websites that predominantly feature female consumers. So in the context of a holiday advertisement that centres on a gift exchange, it made sense for the woman to receive the present, he said.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to incite men to give a gift to their wives or girlfriends,B次元官网网址� he said.
READ MORE:
ThereB次元官网网址檚 a low level of risk that the backlash will hurt the company, said Middleton. BrandsB次元官网网址� reputations can be damaged by negative publicity, he said, but in this case, itB次元官网网址檚 likely not a big enough issue.
It could help the company, Middleton added, by generating buzz in the daily news grind and on social media.
B次元官网网址淚t will put Peloton into peopleB次元官网网址檚 minds more,B次元官网网址� he said, adding he can think of a few people in his life who might ask their loved ones if theyB次元官网网址檝e seen the ad, while mentioning they wouldnB次元官网网址檛 mind that gift this year.
The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on
