Spoiler alert: This story contains a major plot development in the Sex and the City reboot and so on.
Fitness equipment maker Peloton has delivered a humorous response after the brand featured on HBO Max. At the end of last week, the company’s shares tumbled after a key figure died while using one of the company’s stationary bikes. The company approved the use of its bikes by the show, but said it was not told that Mr. Big, played by actor Chris Noth, would die after training.
But Peloton has launched an ad that brings the character back to life. In the first episode of And Just Like That, John James Preston, better known by his nickname Mr Big, Carrie Bradshaw’s on-and-off partner and eventual husband of Sarah Jessica Parker, died after suffering a heart attack while training on a Peloton.
The company’s shares have plunged more than 16% since the show first aired on December 9. Peloton responded by saying that Big’s lifestyle and family history were the likely cause of his death and that using one of his stationary bikes “may even have helped delay his cardiac event. On Sunday, he released a parody ad, in which Mr. Big came back to life, with the caption: “And so… he’s alive.
In the ad, Mr. Noth and real-life Peloton instructor Jess King, who also starred in the HBO episode, are seen sitting by a fire. He asks if you would like to take another walk. Actor Ryan Reynolds, whose advertising firm produced the promo, provides the voice-over.
This is not the first time one of Peloton’s ads has made the news. In 2019, the company’s shares plummeted after a backlash over its Christmas ad, which showed a woman giving her an exercise bike for Christmas by her partner. Then, he records his workouts for the next year in a vlog and presents it to him as a way of thanking him. A year ago, I didn’t realize how much this would change me, ”he says. Critics of the 30-second promo called it “sexist” and “dystopian.
Peloton got a big boost from the pandemic beneficiary as people forced to stay home looked for ways to stay fit. The company’s stock increased fivefold in 2020 before losing most of those gains this year. Investors are concerned that the company will struggle to grow in the future. Peloton has faced other problems in recent months. In May, the company recalled its treadmills following reports of one death and several injuries.
In August, it lowered the price of its flagship exercise bike as people returned to the gym and exercised less at home. It came as losses increased at the company in the fourth quarter of the year and revenue growth began to slow.
