Peloton, the company behind the $2,300+ exercise bike with a $40 a month subscription fee, released a commercial a few days ago onto YouTube that went viral. In the commercial, a man gives his significant other a Peloton bike for Christmas. Seems innocuous enough in concept, but if you watch it, the woman seems to be in some sort of distress.
Of course, the internet immediately turned the Peloton ad into a meme. In fact, Twitter hammered Peloton so hard that its stock dropped by 10% in one day.
The odd scenario of a man buying his significant other a Peloton for Christmas, her vlogging about of using it for a year, then the following Christmas presenting him with a video expressing her adoration and thanks for an exercise bike just didn’t resonate with many people. Besides the actress sporting a look like she was spinning at gunpoint, the scenario just doesn’t seem very realistic.
Here’s a shot-for-shot remake of the Peloton bike ad but it’s about a big jar of olives pic.twitter.com/nl4B64Doxw
— Noah Gebstadt (@NoahGeb) December 3, 2019
Peloton responded to the rampant lampooning of the ad in a communication with CNBC. The company says, “we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial,” and added, “we are encouraged by — and grateful for — the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate.”
when my husband gets me a Peleton for Christmas …….. pic.twitter.com/Z2d3ewMhPu
— Eva Victor (@evaandheriud) December 2, 2019
This support, at least in the form provided to CNBC, is three emails and a Facebook post. However, regardless of the frequenting memeing of its ads, analysts don’t think Peloton has anything to worry about in the long term, and believe the drop in stock value is a very temporary predicament.
I had my carpenter build a $9,000 finished wood riser for my Peloton bike in my glass-enclosed zen garden/home gym pic.twitter.com/VJSOjctYtO
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
