Peleton Responses

If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s been a lot of commentary on Twitter about the Peleton Bike ad. You can watch it here:

I’ve seen it described as “unsettling” and “creepy,” and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why the whole ad felt off. That is, until I read this great thread by @amyhoy talking about copywriting and perspective.

Click on the text below to read the full thread on Twitter.

can we talk about actually why the peloton ad is so bad? the answer isn’t sexism, or that it’s hard to convey an inner journey in an ad

the problem is copywriting

THREAD pic.twitter.com/4RvqVsElQf

— Amy “Ruins Social Media” Hoy (@amyhoy) December 5, 2019

On top of all that, a few days later… there was a completely different ad that came out, for a completely different product. But! Featuring the actress from the Peleton commercial. It was made by Aviation gin (and promoted by actor Ryan Reynolds):

What’s fascinating is that the gin commercial was all written and shot within just days of the Peleton ad gaining traction. And it’s a counter ad that plays off the public consciousness around the Peleton commercial, without ever using Peleton’s name or referencing much of the ad at all (well, except maybe for the title of the video).

The speed at which online memes spread has always been amazing. Where we used to have the Streisand effect, we now get viral videos and GIFs. And, with Aviation’s commercial… we now have remarkably deft and quick responses to virality, that in turn become viral themselves for their deftness and quickness.

Both Moy and Aviation had fantastic responses to a very popular, online moment. I’m just in awe of the Internet, and the speed with which things happen. The consumers have always been quick, but to see the advertisers being just as quick? That’s a very novel thing. But for how long?

Related:
Blackberries and Centrum