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Peloton ad

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Replies

  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    raven56706 wrote: »
    I saw the ad....my eyes rolled so hard I hurt myself.

    I didn't think it was sexist or elitist...just that the woman portrayed was extremely self-absorbed and slightly obsessive/psychopathic. Listen, chicky...NO ONE cares about your Peloton "journey", not even your husband. I yelled this at the TV screen, admonishing the fake commercial character.

    But, this time of year, I also throw something at the TV every time one of those stupid Lexus Christmas commercials airs. If you want to talk elitist...

    you mean those delightful [Lexus] December to Remember event.


    ..... has there ever been anything more pretentious ever broadcast on television, ever ??


    How about the poor schmo who buys $100K worth of trucks as a present and doesn’t even get the color he wanted.

    :D:D That was pretty jacked up especially the way she shut him down! LOL
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    dbanks80 wrote: »
    Azdak wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    raven56706 wrote: »
    I saw the ad....my eyes rolled so hard I hurt myself.

    I didn't think it was sexist or elitist...just that the woman portrayed was extremely self-absorbed and slightly obsessive/psychopathic. Listen, chicky...NO ONE cares about your Peloton "journey", not even your husband. I yelled this at the TV screen, admonishing the fake commercial character.

    But, this time of year, I also throw something at the TV every time one of those stupid Lexus Christmas commercials airs. If you want to talk elitist...

    you mean those delightful [Lexus] December to Remember event.


    ..... has there ever been anything more pretentious ever broadcast on television, ever ??


    How about the poor schmo who buys $100K worth of trucks as a present and doesn’t even get the color he wanted.

    :D:D That was pretty jacked up especially the way she shut him down! LOL

    I like the one where the guy bought his wife/gf a car and she is obsessed with the pier1 decorations
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    I guess the moral of the story is....if you are annoyed by pretty, rich people who live in architecturally significant houses in the mountains and spend thousands of dollars on Christmas gifts.... then you are probably not the target market for the ad. :D

    i got one before these dumb commercials. i guess i am rich
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,731 Member
    I already got the damn bike, I wish the ads would just go the eff away now! It's all over my facebook, instagram, it's everywhere!
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
    Dunno,

    I already spent thousands on a road bike. If I'm buying anything, it's an indoor trainer and zwift for the winter. I'm not the target demographic for them.
    COGypsy wrote: »
    Is anyone else rather suspicious that any "viral Internet outrage" came from Peleton marketing staff postings on social media rather than actual outraged humans?

  • bearly63
    bearly63 Posts: 734 Member
    The ad is silly.....but the responses on Twitter have given my rib cage a workout from laughing! Some really clever, funny responses. We have so many more important things to be outraged over....this is not one of them IMHO. The few people I know that have one seem to enjoy it. I live in a place where I can be outdoors most of the year. No interest in staying inside at least for my cardio.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,131 Member
    whitpauly wrote: »
    Yes her face!! She looks scared as *kitten* through the whole thing and looks like an idiot that's been held hostage! I wasn't offended by anything in it and was surprised to see the uproar, maybe a better commercial would have been a slightly chubby lady sitting on the couch,then Christmas getting the bike and exclaiming "a peloton just like I asked for"! Then a year laster shes all active and thinner,who knows who cares

    Oh no please! Then people will be saying that it was a body shaming add, and how do they dare to put somebody that is not fit on a TV commercial.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    whitpauly wrote: »
    Yes her face!! She looks scared as *kitten* through the whole thing and looks like an idiot that's been held hostage! I wasn't offended by anything in it and was surprised to see the uproar, maybe a better commercial would have been a slightly chubby lady sitting on the couch,then Christmas getting the bike and exclaiming "a peloton just like I asked for"! Then a year laster shes all active and thinner,who knows who cares

    I'm wondering a bit whether the true aim here is to convince people who feel like they're currently "not quite enough" (in some amorphous way) that if they buy the expensive fitness toy, they, too will achieve major changes (not visible on the outside), becoming confident and - whew - finally feel "enough".

    She already lives in the McMansion; she already has the handsome (?) spouse; she didn't get thinner; she doesn't look fitter; but it has changed her life.

    :lol:

    Probably can't win.

    Apparently it's okay to shame the rich and thin, but if the person and change you suggest were depicted, they would be roasted over the coals for "fat shaming."

    The outrage to me, as I believe I said before, is more that people don't realize that exercise is for fitness and eating is how we control weight.

    I was telling someone that even at my heaviest, I could out ride most people I rode with. So I, through the admitted lens of my experience, thought of this as she went from being able to ride a mile or two to being able to go on a ride that spanned multiple hours.

    IIRC, we don't really see her legs, and I'm pretty sure they don't have someone come in and shoot the second half of the commercial 12 months after shooting the first half to get the before/after done.

    Sorry, probably rambling.

    I just see it as a no-win for Peloton.

    There are even those roasting them for mental health issues, suggesting her husband is "controlling" or whatever they assume through the lens of their experience.

    I have a free mental health tip, mind your own business :)

    Being jealous or outraged based on your assumptions cannot be healthy :)

    Just FTR, I don't much care about the ad one way or another. It may be a great product, even, but it doesn't interest me in the slightest. (I'm an on water rower, and only care about that, parochially). I wasn't suggesting showing a different change in the ad.

    Back in the day, I had some post-grad marketing education. With that very limited basis, I was expressing an opinion about a potential psychological manipulation the ad might be attempting, one simultaneously aspirational and exploitive of moderately common mild neuroses about personal adequacy. It might hook a certain market segment, I dunno.

    I could make a case that the social network after-snark could undermine the effectiveness of such a pitch, reinforce it, or some of each (with different market segments). The holiday (and resolutioner) sales figures - not the stock prices - will suggest a clearer answer.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    edited December 2019
    Nice analysis Ann!

    The problem with Peloton is the cost. Not only is it about $2k to buy but it requires a monthly subscription as well. It can make sense for people in climates where you can't bike in the winter, and access to a gym is difficult either for travel, time, or personal reasons (ie: fame, personal security issues).

    Just like ads for Lexus aren't aimed at everyone, this ad isn't aimed at everyone. Totally normal. The rest of us can take our summer bike and plop it onto a wind-trainer or mag-trainer for a couple hundred bucks and get the same effect, less the coaching.

    Would I be nervous if someone bought the bike and subscription for me? Hell yes--after all that expense what if I don't use it enough to justify the cost? How would my loved one feel if that happened?

    For perspective, I dropped about $2k on sea kayaking gear over a decade ago. I haven't used it in years due to orthopedic issues making it difficult to get on and off the car. However, after buying it, I used it extensively for at least 5 years, such that comparing it to the cost of renting equipment for each outing I cut my kayaking cost in half over what it would have been, and enjoyed better equipment and thus more satisfying outings as a result. I could also access areas where rentals weren't available. So, it was money well spent.

    It is possible to get adequate use value out of a 'toy' even if it's pretty expensive.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    LAT1963 wrote: »
    Nice analysis Ann!

    The problem with Peloton is the cost. Not only is it about $2k to buy but it requires a monthly subscription as well. It can make sense for people in climates where you can't bike in the winter, and access to a gym is difficult either for travel, time, or personal reasons (ie: fame, personal security issues).

    Just like ads for Lexus aren't aimed at everyone, this ad isn't aimed at everyone. Totally normal. The rest of us can take our summer bike and plop it onto a wind-trainer or mag-trainer for a couple hundred bucks and get the same effect, less the coaching.

    Would I be nervous if someone bought the bike and subscription for me? Hell yes--after all that expense what if I don't use it enough to justify the cost? How would my loved one feel if that happened?

    For perspective, I dropped about $2k on sea kayaking gear over a decade ago. I haven't used it in years due to orthopedic issues making it difficult to get on and off the car. However, after buying it, I used it extensively for at least 5 years, such that comparing it to the cost of renting equipment for each outing I cut my kayaking cost in half over what it would have been, and enjoyed better equipment and thus more satisfying outings as a result. I could also access areas where rentals weren't available. So, it was money well spent.

    It is possible to get adequate use value out of a 'toy' even if it's pretty expensive.

    Agreed. Many of us have our "stuff" Don't even ask how much investment I have in boats (2 rowing shells, single & double; a kayak; 5 canoes (long story, but most used/free); various ancillary equipment; not to mention $400-something annually for rowing club membership & boat rack rental for the shells. Worth every penny.

    Why people buy things, and how companies market them: Two separate things, potentially interrelated.

    I'm sure Peloton is perfect for some, and no argument from me if so.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    Gisel2015 wrote: »
    whitpauly wrote: »
    Yes her face!! She looks scared as *kitten* through the whole thing and looks like an idiot that's been held hostage! I wasn't offended by anything in it and was surprised to see the uproar, maybe a better commercial would have been a slightly chubby lady sitting on the couch,then Christmas getting the bike and exclaiming "a peloton just like I asked for"! Then a year laster shes all active and thinner,who knows who cares

    Oh no please! Then people will be saying that it was a body shaming add, and how do they dare to put somebody that is not fit on a TV commercial.

    Yes you're absolutely right on that point too
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
    COGypsy wrote: »
    Is anyone else rather suspicious that any "viral Internet outrage" came from Peleton marketing staff postings on social media rather than actual outraged humans?

    Yep, it crossed my mind.
  • LDemi333
    LDemi333 Posts: 92 Member
    edited December 2019
    These days feeling offended has become a lifestyle choice. The "victims of life" think of nothing else than where to apportion blame. They seem to enjoy it.

    Its an expensive bike - get on it, get over it or get rid of it. Grief.