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Post by PeachStatePea on Dec 5, 2019 16:29:18 GMT
Maybe if Peloton is taking a hit with this it will motivate them to have a big sale. Like bikes and treads for half price. WIN WIN
FWIW I find the commercial a little weird but not offensive. The wife looked thrilled when she saw the bike.
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naby64
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,910
Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on Dec 5, 2019 16:29:29 GMT
I agree with what Merge said upthread so I am not going to retype what I think of the Peloton and Lexus commercials. Do NOT pick out my car, husband!
Now if he gave me a Peloton, I would love it. I think they look like a great and wonderful thing. Would I videotape myself using it? No, most definitely not! I have even gone so far as to ask for a Dyson for Christmas. People at his office asked him what he was getting me. When he said a Dyson, they gave him so much crap and he told me about it. I told him I was very happy with it and to tell the busybodies at work that I asked for it. So while it might not be a good idea to give household goods/exercise equipment as gifts, if asked for, then I see no problem.
As to the videoing of her workouts, in this day of vloggers, social media, etc., I just assumed she was posting the videos in her stories on IG. I don't usually go looking for something deeper and darker in commercials. I think if I started a new healthy journey I might take pictures along the way. I don't think I would make a video, though, to watch with my husband.
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MizIndependent
Drama Llama
Quit your bullpoop.
Posts: 5,836
Jun 25, 2014 19:43:16 GMT
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Post by MizIndependent on Dec 5, 2019 16:48:24 GMT
No doubt you are in a healthy relationship with your SO. This helped me understand the backlash. Thanks, pjaye. I used to be in a very bad relationship and thinking back on it, I'm sure I would at that time have interpreted this ad negatively (ex was very controlling). I think the fact that all I saw in this ad was a cool bike and a supportive husband probably speaks volumes as to how far I have personally come in my relationship with my wonderful DH (22 years an counting!). That I would ever have been able to love again after the first one is, well...it's amazing. Really makes me appreciate DH even more. If my DH surprised me with a Peloton, I'd be thrilled! But this is extremely reflective of where our relationship is and the current focus we both have on our health. For me, it would be an encouraging and good thing. I can definitely see how for others it would be the exact opposite (as it would have been for me years ago). Though, lol, I would not be doing a video diary about it. That was weird.
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 17:03:55 GMT
I love my Peloton - but I do think it's a terrible ad. And for me, it has more to do with the husband giving her the Peloton as a gift. As much as I love my bike, unless I asked for it (my dh and I bought it together) don't give me exercise equipment. And perhaps that's why they chose a skinny actress (now that I think more about it) - if she'd been heavy set, people really would've been "how could he give her an exercise bike! What an oaf!" I am surprised this made it through the commercial advertising process without one person asking "do you think this works?" If they are trying to sell more of these bikes, hammering home the message that they are just for the skinny and rich is probably not the way to do it. Well, they kind of already do that with their ads where beautiful, fit people pedal away on a bike sitting on a purpose-built platform looking out over a bank of windows with a very expensive view. They are a niche product for affluent people, IMO, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's kind of like the annual Lexus event ads where the beautiful car is parked in the driveway at Christmas with a big bow on it. No way that's happening for 99% of American families, but the ads appear year after year. I agree with you that it's the fact that a Peloton is a surprise gift that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Again, in 99% of American households, that would be a very bad move by the husband - even if his wife is thin. There is almost no way to surprise someone with exercise equipment without the undertone of, "I really think you should really use this."Would you think the same if your partner/husband bought you expensive perfume for Christmas too. Would any of you think when opening that gift that the undertone behind it was " Here's some perfume because you stink"
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Bridget in MD
Drama Llama
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Member is Online
Jun 25, 2014 20:40:00 GMT
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Post by Bridget in MD on Dec 5, 2019 17:04:26 GMT
I would like to know the actress’s name. She looks so familiar, but I just can’t place her. She kind of looks like Emily Rossem? The one from Shameless, but I am not sure that's her....
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 17:05:03 GMT
I don't really see it. The offensiveness, I mean. Maybe part of the problem is that the majority of people (in this thread, as well), see exercise as something you only do to change your appearance or lose weight. 'She didn't change at all, she still looks exactly the same after a year'.
Maybe it is isn't about looks or weight, maybe it is about commitment and feeling fit.
And, maybe she wanted the bike. Nowhere in the ad is anything else implied.
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Post by Merge on Dec 5, 2019 17:06:30 GMT
Well, they kind of already do that with their ads where beautiful, fit people pedal away on a bike sitting on a purpose-built platform looking out over a bank of windows with a very expensive view. They are a niche product for affluent people, IMO, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's kind of like the annual Lexus event ads where the beautiful car is parked in the driveway at Christmas with a big bow on it. No way that's happening for 99% of American families, but the ads appear year after year. I agree with you that it's the fact that a Peloton is a surprise gift that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Again, in 99% of American households, that would be a very bad move by the husband - even if his wife is thin. There is almost no way to surprise someone with exercise equipment without the undertone of, "I really think you should really use this."Would you think the same if your partner/husband bought you expensive perfume for Christmas too. Would any of you think when opening that gift that the undertone behind it was " Here's some perfume because you stink" No, because you don’t use perfume to keep from stinking. I’d be pretty upset if he gave me some deodorant, though.
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Post by ~summer~ on Dec 5, 2019 17:12:24 GMT
I don’t find it offensive I find it a bit creepy. Mainly just around the pressure we put on ourselves to be skinny and perfect. I didn’t focus on him, I focused on her. And the look she gives him at the end of the commercial was the icing on the cake.
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
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Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Dec 5, 2019 17:24:31 GMT
I don’t get the outrage either. In no way did the commercial imply the husband thought she needed to get in shape or lose weight. She’s excited about the gift. If we’re going to start assuming things not shown, I assume she spent all year saying she’d like a Peleton.The ad clearly shows her using it for a year and enjoying her commitment to working out. The contortions to to find offense are what I find strange. This. Holy cow people.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
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Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Dec 5, 2019 17:30:45 GMT
Is it automatically sexist to be gifted cooking equipment, appliances, etc? In general - yes. Especially in advertising. There's plenty of ways they could make an ad that does not involve sexist stereotypes. You could have a fit/athletic woman buying one for herself and talking about how it helps her to achieve her fitness goals, you could have an overweight couple buying one together and the ad could focus on how the bike can be used for both of them, you could have a woman with children talking about how convenient it is for her to be able to work out at home and not have to go to a gym. You can sell an exercise bike to a woman in an ad without including the message "you have to stay thin for your control freak husband" It's not that hard. My story. And I think it would sell just as well. Maybe not as "aspirational" an ad, but much more realistic.
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sarahruby
Full Member
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Jul 1, 2014 0:40:17 GMT
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Post by sarahruby on Dec 5, 2019 17:31:17 GMT
Count me in - I don't see the big deal either.
The vids - nothing different than what people do today.
I see a woman excited to receive the gift.
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craftykitten
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 26, 2014 7:39:32 GMT
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Post by craftykitten on Dec 5, 2019 17:35:23 GMT
In general - yes. Especially in advertising. There's plenty of ways they could make an ad that does not involve sexist stereotypes. You could have a fit/athletic woman buying one for herself and talking about how it helps her to achieve her fitness goals, you could have an overweight couple buying one together and the ad could focus on how the bike can be used for both of them, you could have a woman with children talking about how convenient it is for her to be able to work out at home and not have to go to a gym. You can sell an exercise bike to a woman in an ad without including the message "you have to stay thin for your control freak husband" It's not that hard. I agree that the ad could have been better. But there are plenty of ads that I think portray men in a bad light and stereotype male/female roles in the home. But women find them funny or say, "so true" and nobody makes a big deal out of it. Overall, I agree with the poster above who said that people are projecting their own issues onto the ad. Actually, ads using stereotypes like that have been banned in the UK. Because if you keep perpetuating them, how are people going to change? I had to look the ad up online, and I'm not outraged or offended, I just think it's weird and badly done. After reading the thread about peloton, it sounds like it has so many great benefits that aren't even mentioned in this ad.
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 17:36:36 GMT
Would you think the same if your partner/husband bought you expensive perfume for Christmas too. Would any of you think when opening that gift that the undertone behind it was " Here's some perfume because you stink" No, because you don’t use perfume to keep from stinking. I’d be pretty upset if he gave me some deodorant, though. Exactly, she wants to keep fit and not necessarily to lose weight which is what a lot of the tweets and the backlash is about. She's achieving her goal of keeping fit with the gift that she was given and sharing her achievement with her husband. As for showing the video, the bike comes with access to 100's of live classes with virtual instructors. I'll give the advert the benefit of the doubt that she's actually showing herself doing some of these classes to show her partner/husband what the classes are like and how many classes there are.
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Post by mustlovecats on Dec 5, 2019 17:52:25 GMT
I think it was kind of a weak ad overall. She says, “I didn’t know how much it would change me” but what you see is just her exercising. Her empowerment is implied in a very shallow way, but it’s not shown. The exercise in and of itself doesn’t feel empowering to me. The ad doesn’t show what changed. Just that she had a Peloton for a whole year and used it.
I think the thing I sometimes feel kind of sensitive to is the idea that women are so often asked to prove their commitment to this cultural ideal of femaleness that definitely does include “rise and grind” and get to the gym and keep yourself up. Sometimes it feels performative to do “being female” right and I feel this ad tapped on that feeling for me a little.
Not offensive to me but I didn’t think what it says about being female resonated with me or felt inspirational.
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 17:59:11 GMT
The ad is stupid.
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 18:10:07 GMT
Well, they kind of already do that with their ads where beautiful, fit people pedal away on a bike sitting on a purpose-built platform looking out over a bank of windows with a very expensive view. They are a niche product for affluent people, IMO, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's kind of like the annual Lexus event ads where the beautiful car is parked in the driveway at Christmas with a big bow on it. No way that's happening for 99% of American families, but the ads appear year after year. I agree with you that it's the fact that a Peloton is a surprise gift that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Again, in 99% of American households, that would be a very bad move by the husband - even if his wife is thin. There is almost no way to surprise someone with exercise equipment without the undertone of, "I really think you should really use this."Would you think the same if your partner/husband bought you expensive perfume for Christmas too. Would any of you think when opening that gift that the undertone behind it was " Here's some perfume because you stink" This is so funny! Because brother’s bedroom was loaded with colognes of all types . And his whore must have loved cherry scent because everything else was cherry, her side of the bed was loaded with cherry scented “oils”. We figure that brother had that old sick smell and the only way she could get close( screw) to him was to douse him in scent. With the number of empty bottles, they got close a lot. Before you ask, the whole house smelled like anursing house with a mildew smell just for good measure.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Dec 5, 2019 18:10:27 GMT
Sometimes it feels performative to do “being female” right and I feel this ad tapped on that feeling for me a little. Not offensive to me but I didn’t think what it says about being female resonated with me or felt inspirational. Thank you for nailing it. This was it for me too. I wanted to see achievement and empowerment. Because that, IMO, is what exercise is about.
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Post by oliquig on Dec 5, 2019 18:15:43 GMT
It was dumb, and I really do wonder about their marketing team.
Having it be a gift should never have happened, and the tone of the video was odd.
To me it would have made far more sense for the end of the video to be her competing in a triathlon with her husband and child cheering her on, with a voiceover talking about how with her family and busy life it was thanks to her Peloton that she was able to train for this life long goal.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Dec 5, 2019 18:24:12 GMT
I guess I didn’t pay attention to the commercial enough. I thought she was just happy to get the bike and it was something she wanted. Yes she was already in shape but so what she maybe had a different bike and wanted to upgrade to the Peloton. I think of the Peloton as a luxury item.
I didn’t think of it as the husband trying to control his wife or as a statement that she needed to get into shape or anything sinister.
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 18:32:16 GMT
Easy to be offended if you are looking for reasons to be offended.
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Post by dillydally on Dec 5, 2019 18:41:07 GMT
I've seen the ad a few times while working out at the gym and a couple times in the background at home while I was doing stuff. Since the closed captioning doesn't work on ads, and since it was an ad, I haven't paid super close attention to it, but I did roll my eyes at the vlogging and the "wish me luck". Guess I need to go watch the whole thing with the sound on and pay closer attention.
(Also, out of curiosity, but not enough to go google it, how do they know how much the stock fell due to the ad? The market was up last week due to optimism re: US/China trade, but fell this week due to tweets that indicated no deal was going to be made any time soon)
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Post by papersilly on Dec 5, 2019 19:07:12 GMT
regardless of how Peloton wants to spin it, WE know what they were saying and who their targer audience was for that ad.
everytime i see that commercial, i say to DH, "how come it's not in a regular home or apartment, no floor to ceiling windows, and some plus person (not just a woman) getting on it?". i didn't think so. it's the same reason the Mercedes, Audi, or Lexus commercials don't have the big red bow on a car parked in front of a duplex (not that there is anything wrong with a duplex but you get what i mean). come on Peloton, what do you take us for?
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J u l e e
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,531
Location: Cincinnati
Jun 28, 2014 2:50:47 GMT
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Post by J u l e e on Dec 5, 2019 19:23:55 GMT
Easy to be offended if you are looking for reasons to be offended. This is meant generally, not specifically in response to anmore. But it's also easy to be unaware of, or unable to consider, another viewpoint if you're averse or unused to doing so.
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Post by peano on Dec 5, 2019 19:42:16 GMT
There is almost no way to surprise someone with exercise equipment without the undertone of, "I really think you should really use this." The fact that she is surprised to me is the problem with this commercial. They clearly are very wealthy (because of the gorgeous house with amazing views) so getting this bike as a "surprise" is so 1950's. Man getting expensive gift for wife. Yay him! Plus, she really shows him the videos of her workouts? What??? I don't care if my husband looked like Chris Hemsworth, I have better things to entertain myself with than watching his workouts. And I would just like to add that I really hate the Lexus commercials. I don't want anyone to choose a car for me. Just to reiterate, it's the surprise that's the problem. All the women in these adds looked so shocked to receive this gift. And don't get me started on the LifeTime movies where the man buys a surprise house for his SO. And one last thing, my son who worked for the park service in Glacier National park would probably thin "Look at your surroundings! Just go hiking." I don't understand this sentence in the context of the commercial. 1950s because a husband is bestowing a gift upon his housewife wife? She is clearly dressed in business attire when she comes in the door, so she must contribute to the gorgeous house with amazing views. The inherent nature of presents is the surprise aspect, isn't it? I thought she was reviewing the videos to mark how far she'd come fitness-wise, and her husband was just along for the ride. This fucking commercial is like a Rorschach test, LOL.
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Post by Tamhugh on Dec 5, 2019 19:49:11 GMT
I can also project my own backstory onto the ad, but for me it makes me like it.
Last year, a new gym opened near us and DH suggested that we join. He offered to pay for us both to have a personal trainer if I took it seriously. (No control issue, he just knows my past history with joining gyms) I have been working with a trainer since the end of Feb, and it has been life changing. Not just in weight loss. I am stronger, more confident, and I just feel better all around, emotionally and physically. I get her "nervous face", because the first time I walked in to work with a trainer, I was so scared that I almost vomited. I am at the point where I go 6 days a week without fail and DH is going more often just to try to keep up with me.
Also, I have 3 friends who have received Pelotons as gifts in the past year and they all are thrilled. One of them actually travels to NYC for her milestone rides so she can have them in the studio, in person.
And my last comment is that, for me, if the woman receiving the gift had been overweight, I probably would have been more likely to think the husband was doing it as a way to force her to lose weight. Others here seem to think it would have made the commercial less offensive. I don't think companies can win when we all see our own lives reflected at us and they are so different.
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 11:30:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2019 19:56:33 GMT
People are projecting big time.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Dec 5, 2019 20:17:46 GMT
This fucking commercial is like a Rorschach test, LOL. Giggle. I agree. I watched it twice and tried to compose my thoughts this morning. And I was left with one foot on either side. Frankly almost every single person's opinion on this thread I find myself having something to nod in agreement about. I am really thinking the commercial is just not well thought out at all. It leaves too much mystery.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Dec 5, 2019 20:19:09 GMT
And again, why are only fat people expected to exercise to lose weight? Maybe fat people choose to work out to increase their muscle mass so they can continue to enjoy food. Maybe they are perfectly happy being fat but want to have better stamina. Maybe a fat wife would love her Peleton so she could continue to eat bread and ice cream without gaining weight (not losing, not gaining). Since when do skinny people not have to worry about not working out to keep their bodies working optimally? This controversy truly escapes me. Why aren’t we bitching about the guy that buys a truck and SUV as a surprise gift and assumes the wife wants the SUV not the truck?
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Post by Merge on Dec 5, 2019 20:30:23 GMT
I don’t think anyone here has said they were outraged, and consumer opinion doesn’t directly affect market valuation. There’s no argument that Peloton “deserved” or “didn’t deserve” what is certainly a temporary devaluation. The company hasn’t lost anything.
People responded to an ad and the market responded to that. Tomorrow everyone will be on to something else.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Dec 5, 2019 20:32:13 GMT
lisacharlotte I'm responding because I referenced weight. The reason I did so was because it's easy to show a transformation via weight loss. It was a miss IMO on showing any other kind of transformation here.
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