Peloton holiday ad sparks 'sexist' outcry: Will it hurt the company in the long run?
Home-fitness company Peloton faced heavy social media backlash for their holiday ad promoting its exercise bike. Commenters blasted the promotional video as 'sexist' and mocked its message. Marketing expert and founder of CMO Inc., Peter Horst, shares some insight on how Peloton can bounce back from such a public shaming and what the long term impact on the company might be.
Peloton’s divisive new holiday commercial has sparked a second firestorm, as Twitter users are now searching for the actress who played the pained-looking wife who obsessed over the pricey exercise bike in the controversial clip.
On Monday night, Peloton’s “The Gift That Gives Back” video ad went viral for all the wrong reasons, as commenters blasted the promotion as sexist and mocked its message.
In the 30-second clip, which first debuted online in November, a husband surprises his wife on Christmas morning with an exercise bike, causing her to gasp with shock after lifting her hand from her eyes.
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"A Peloton?!" she exclaims, seemingly in disbelief.
The ad then followed the wife — identified at one point as “Grace in Boston” — as she tracked her journey with the exercise bike. Over the course of a year, the woman documented her Peloton workouts with video diaries, and ultimately presented her partner with a compilation montage of her progress.
"A year ago, I didn't realize how much this would change me," the wife said to her husband about her Peloton bike. "Thank you."
The Twitter community had a field day with the clip’s complicated undertones, with commenters taking issue with everything from the woman’s “rail-thin” frame to her “creepy” husband’s “abusive” desire to monitor her exercise routine in the first place.
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And now, users are searching for the woman who portrayed the ad’s exercise-happy wife, demanding answers.
"Who is the actress in the Peloton commercial and does she need our help?" one wondered. Another commenter warned they’d like to crack down on "everyone involved in the pitching, scripting, acting, shooting and approval" of the controversial commercial.
"Can't wait for the Peloton actress' comeback" one joked.
A representative for Peloton was not immediately available to offer further comment on the story, or reveal the actress' name.
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Peloton exercise bikes start at $2,245, with more inclusive packages retailing for as much as $2,694. The Peloton Membership, which gives users access to on-demand and live classes, costs an additional $39 per month.
Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
