Peloton's Christmas ad mocked as sexist
Reuters
Published Dec 04, 2019 12:04
Peloton's Christmas ad mocked as sexist
(Reuters) - Exercise bike and treadmill maker Peloton Interactive Inc's (O:PTON) latest Christmas advertisement has been widely criticized on social media as being "sexist" and "dystopian".
The advertisement, called "The Gift That Gives Back", shows a woman receiving a Peloton bike as a gift from her husband following which she records her workouts over a year and shares them with him through a video blog.
The company spokeswoman said on Wednesday it was disappointed how some people had misinterpreted the commercial, which also had other positive feedback on a campaign that was meant to celebrate fitness.
The 30-second ad sparked a storm on Twitter, with several users pegging it as sexist. Some said the husband was "controlling" and "manipulative" as buying his wife an exercise bike suggested that the she needed to lose weight.
Comedian and writer Jess Dweck compared the advertisement, which has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube, with an episode of Netflix's dystopian anthology series "Black Mirror".
"This was just a clueless mistake that social media is going to rip you apart over," said Eric Schiffer, chief executive officer of Patriarch Organization, a Los Angeles-based private-equity firm.
"I don't think it's going to create an avalanche of negative implications to revenues."
Refinitiv's Eikon Social Media Monitor showed sentiment toward Peloton turned negative on Tuesday, having been firmly positive in the past couple of months.
Founded in 2012, Peloton sells indoor exercise bicycles and offers packages requiring memberships to access live and on-demand classes from home. Its flagship product is a stationary bike priced at over $2,200.
The company's stock has risen 16% since its initial public offering in September as investors bet on the growing popularity of its bicycles that offer on-demand workout programs.
Get The App
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.