Last month, Peloton began broadcasting this ad to promote its exercise bikes and its online fitness classes.
The ad portrays a young mother who receives a Peloton for Christmas and then documents her fitness journey on social media.
Critics pounced for a variety of reasons.
Many mocked the idea of a husband gifting his fit, beautiful wife an exercise machine.
Example: The Twitter post that says, “Nothing says ‘maybe you should lose a few pounds’ like gifting your already rail thin life partner a Peloton.”
There was an explosion of media coverage debating whether the critics were right.
This clearly wasn’t the response the company wanted.
Peloton continues to run the commercial, and the video remains live on YouTube.
But the company has shut down comments on the YouTube video.
And It released a statement that says, in part:
“Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey. While we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial, we are encouraged by — and grateful for — the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate.”
Wow! That’s a brash statement…
…and a terrible one.
“…disappointed in how some have misinterpreted the commercial!?”
That reminds me of the guy at work who used to tell offensive jokes, get called out for it and then say, “I’m sorry you were offended.”
The lesson for you: Own your marketing messages. Accept responsibility for the stories you tell.
If you annoy or offend the masses, don’t tell the critics, “YOU don’t understand!”
Ask instead, “HOW could we have told our story without offending and annoying?”
No marketing message will win everyone over.
There will always be critics. But if you respond to the critics by pointing fingers, rather than looking in the mirror, you’ll drive your business in the wrong direction.
I’m not a stock analyst so I can’t say, for sure, that there’s a connection here, but…
…Peloton’s stock price has plummeted since the ad started running.
Tom
MarketVolt
p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell and how. Then we help them identify and connect with their target markets so people will view you as a welcome guest and listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.
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