Peloton Marketing Finding Its Way Back with Beyonce

A lot has happened in the past few months. The same applies to brands. And Peloton has certainly not been immune to the highs, lows and dramatic swings.

It was only last December when the brand was universally roasted (I certainly didn’t abstain) for an ad that was equal parts creepy and seemingly off-brand for a company that prides itself so heavily on its community. While one could break down all the weirdness in the “Peloton Girl” and boyfriend’s relationship dynamic and its undertones, the crux of the disconnect for me was this:

One could argue that this is Peloton’s audience, and they don’t need to cater to anyone else. And, no, not every ad has to have every creed, color and socio-economic class represented in a beautiful poem to political correctness. However, I happen to believe that Peloton is trying to go more mainstream. Like Lululemon, eventually your brand needs to evolve…or at least give appearances that it’s trying. The narrow slice of the market eventually becomes too narrow.

What’s more is that Peloton goes to great lengths to talk about its “community.” You…riding, running, becoming better, with the help of their instructors and this powerful global group of co-supporters (virtual and otherwise). The One Peloton positioning is pretty central to the proposition. “Together we go far.”

My point? I’m not a creative director, but I think there are countless ways to bring the power of the community proposition (and the real benefit of connecting and “competing” alongside others) together with the inherently “individualistic” act of jumping on a bike or a treadmill. In my mind’s eye, Peloton could’ve easily created an ad that melded those two worlds in a truly inspiration way (in the vein of a Nike). You can imagine how real “members” (as they deem their users) might have even been a part of it all. People from different parts of the country. Different journeys. One shared — and collective - mission.

Now, I ain’t no Nostradamus, but fast forward a few months and toss in a crippling pandemic and country-wide reckoning around social justice, and Peloton has since changed its tune juuust a wee bit.

All well and good. Adjust the advertising. Focus on the members. Make it feel more real. Showcase diversity. Bring forward the community and One Peloton spirit. Good start. Where do you go next? Well, you bring in Beyonce, of course.

It’s showtime, Peloton. The @Beyonce Artist Series has arrived. Get ready to ride, run, lift, flow, sing, love and celebrate the power of music all week long. Check out the live schedule to elevate your next sweat—Beyoncé style. pic.twitter.com/584najEIAs

— Peloton (@onepeloton) November 11, 2020

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Smart. Huge name. Broad appeal. Continues the march against positioning the brand as only for a white, elite and entitled audience. The HBCUs element of the campaign is a bit light, but it plays from a PR perspective. My guess is that this does big things for Peloton, from both a short-term buzz-building and a longer-term brand building perspective. I could do without the proliferation of words like “unprecedented” and “epic” in the press announcement, but this works on a lot of fronts.