A widely-mocked advertisement from the exercise bike company Peloton came at a steep price for the company’s investors.
Earlier this week, Peloton released an advertisement depicting a woman getting an exercise bike as a gift from her husband. The clip tracks the woman as she continues to use the machine throughout the year and ends with her thanking her husband for the bike.
The advertisement was lambasted online as people claimed the video was either sexist or something out of the dystopian series Black Mirror. Many found it offensive to give a woman a gift that could imply that she needs to lose weight or get in shape.
The only way to enjoy that Peloton ad is to think of it as the first minute of an episode of Black Mirror
— Jess Dweck (@TheDweck) December 2, 2019
It’s clear this woman doesn’t need a Peloton. She needs a good therapist and a divorce lawyer. https://t.co/II7F0HicAE
— Hemal Jhaveri (@hemjhaveri) December 2, 2019
I’ve seen hostage videos that looked more comfortable. pic.twitter.com/pozFhW0zhP
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) December 2, 2019
So many people were outraged that stocks in the company plummeted, leading some investors to demand the company pull the advertisement. Peloton shares lost 10% of its value, which was the biggest shift in the company’s value in more than two months.
Justin Patterson, an analyst at Raymond James, told Bloomberg that the advertisement would likely be pulled, and the company will recover after the controversy blows over.
Peloton offers stationary bikes and training courses that aim to offer an indoor cycling studio designed for people’s homes. The company was founded in 2012.
The controversial advertisement did drive interest in the company online, even if it was negative. Peloton was searched more on Google than impeachment the week the advertisement launched.
