Spoiler alert: After a character in the Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That… dies of a heart attack while using one of their products, which saw their shares quickly drop 11.3 per cent, fitness company Peloton took less than 48 hours to bring in major star power for an ad in response.
The company have been plagued with problems in recent times, from share price drops to product recalls after the death of a child. This latest situation comes after a major character on the new hit passes away after he goes through a 45-minute Peloton workout with one of their actual instructors.
Peloton approved of their trainer Jess King appearing in the show, and running Mr Big – actor Chris Noth – but didn’t know the character would suffer what appears to be a sudden heart attack.
The ad response – featuring a voiceover from actor Ryan Reynolds – shows Noth suggesting to King they “Take another ride” on one of the company’s exercise cycles.
Reynolds then reassures viewers, “Regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases.”
At the end of the commercial, Reynolds states, “He’s alive!”
Still, the fact the commercial was filmed over a weekend, coming together in such a short time “in collaboration with Ryan Reynolds and his marketing company, Maximum Effort, who created the spot”, has industry pundits wondering if there wasn’t prior knowledge aiming for viral marketing.
“We were not made aware of the plotline,” says Peloton’s SVP of Global Communications. “This was a casting opportunity for one of our instructors for an acting role – not an official brand integration or product placement.”
Peloton’s stock soared during lockdown, but has been staggering since.
“What might have actually been an attempt to boost their brand visibility might have hurt their brand reputation,” an insider tells ChannelNews.