Cheeky Move: Aviation Gin Takes Aim at Peloton

With a subtle advertisement, the gin brand Aviation skillfully mocks the controversial Christmas commercial of the American home exercise equipment manufacturer Peloton – and thereby generates a viral marketing coup.

Aviation co-owner Ryan Reynolds posted the obviously spontaneously produced short clip on his Twitter account on Friday evening with the mocking caption “Exercise bike not included.”

Within a weekend, the modestly produced video went viral, and the community was practically ecstatic with enthusiasm and praise. It’s no wonder, as the creators managed to enlist the main actress from the Peloton commercial for the subtle reference, essentially shooting a sequel to the story with great humor.

The Gift That Gives Back

In the polarizing Peloton advertisement, a young, slender mother receives a home exercise bike from her husband as a Christmas gift from the aforementioned brand and records her initially reluctant workout sessions as a vlog. After a few months, she proudly and gratefully presents it as a belated thank you gift to her generous husband.
“The Gift That Gives Back” is the title of the commercial, which turned out to be more true for Peloton than the manufacturer might have liked. Despite the support of many users, criticism of the allegedly sexist spot grew into a full-fledged backlash. Perhaps because prominent voices joined in the bashing. For example, American comedy writer Jess Dweck tweeted:

Perfect Setup for a Sequel

EMPOWERED RECIPIENTS

The clip garnered almost 10 million views and over 40,000 retweets solely on Ryan’s Twitter account within a weekend. In addition to praise for the clever Aviation coup, many users once again expressed their opinions on the Peloton clip – often in a very humorous manner: “Pretty cool this ad about the lady and her two friends who helped her kill her husband and sink his body, weighted down by a $3000 bike, to the bottom of a lake.”

It seems that many recipients of advertisements now have an obvious sense of discord. Since the #metoo debate, senses have been sharpened for gender discrimination and traditional roles. A growing clientele is no longer willing to be fooled by the advertising industry – and expresses their discontent with such attempts loudly on social media.

It is to be hoped that such sensitivity also reaches the (advertising) industry. Peloton, however, appeared more surprised and disappointed than understanding: “Our holiday spot was created to celebrate the ‘fitness and wellness journey.’ While we are disappointed that some have misinterpreted our spot, we are nonetheless encouraged by the great support we have received from those who understood what we were trying to communicate.” With such lack of insight, it is doubtful that Peloton’s next “attempt” can clear up all potential “misunderstandings.”