We welcomed our Peloton bike into our home in January of 2018. It was my husband’s idea, not quite like the infamous commercial from 2019. After some years off running due to injury and throwing himself into work, he was looking to motivate and get back to his former endurance self. Plus, we were also planning a cycling vacation in Spain the following August. I balked at the idea of a $2k+ spin bike. I’ve never been a fan of spin classes with too much bopping and minimal focus on working up a decent sweat. Plus we have road bikes AND a trainer, which we'd spent many hours on during our Ironman days. Just throw on an episode of Pretty Little Liars (don't judge) and ride away. After some consideration, I realized that if this was the way to motivate him to workout and have a bit more balance, then who was I to say no.
We got the bike.
While my husband used it casually, I initially used it sparingly. I was focused on marathon training and it was a nice respite for recovery rides once a week. But then I got injured (and was unable to run) and the Peloton was the only cardio I had at my disposal. I discovered new instructors and classes that made the minutes fly by and my heart rate climb even higher. As I recovered from my injury and was able to run, my Peloton dates became increasingly rare. My love for outdoor running is second to only that of my family. As fate would have it, the same hip injury, plagued me again less than 6 months later. When things didn’t improve after months of physical therapy, I fell into severe depression and scaled off the Peloton routine and just about everything else healthy and good for me during the fall of 2019.
I'd been barely holding it together with my physical and mental health in shambles in the months leading up the COVID-19 pandemic. As we entered shelter in place in early 2020, I was overwhelmed. Neither my husband or I had been on the Peloton for months and I'd even canceled the monthly subscription. As we adapted our routines, my husband, a never work from homer, was suddenly embracing the convenience of not having to commute and working out when his schedule afforded him. He asked to turn the Peloton subscription back on and then he was doing all kinds of power zone workouts, watching cross fit videos and finding WODS to do. My competitive drive was triggered and I too wanted to have a break from the zoom monotony and the strange new reality of not seeing other people in person.
Without my usual commute of a short bike ride, a ferry ride and a 15 minute walk, I was desperate for physical activity, pining for some way to sweat and feel my body working hard again. I was still injured and in both physical and mental therapy and the Peloton was just sitting the garage, tempting me. Just try, it was saying. Just see if your body can handle it. So one day in June, I hopped on for an easy 15 minute ride with Hannah, the gently assuring teacher. And then I came back the next day, this time for Cody, the sassy entertainer. The following week I did 10 classes. I watched as my power consistently went up for the first time. I started joining planned group rides with my coworkers in our Peloton slack group and texting my friends about coordinating rides together.
I discovered new instructors and found myself looking forward to Olivia the glitter assassin's, Kendall's knockouts and Ally's lovesquad rides on the schedule. And then there was the Emma and Ally Prince ride, and oh my god, I wore purple leggings and blocked the time on my calendar for it and it was epic. I high fived strangers and added tags. I followed all my favorite instructors on Instagram. I bought Peloton branded workout clothes. I joined the Peloton Facebook groups - buy/sell/trade Peloton apparel, Olivia's team, Kendall Toole's Knockouts, PowerZone Pack. I took sometimes 3-4 rides in a day so I could do live milestone rides and get a coveted shoutout. Thank you Tunde, for making a girl’s dream come true for 250! I posted boomerangs of fun rides and shared favorite workouts and PRs on Instagram (all seamless with their integration). I joined challenges with total strangers, who all had the same shared passion for our favorite instructors and music. In August I racked up a 26 day streak, which I only broke for 1 day to ride outside in the gorgeous summer weather. I reveled in Peloton memes that I found entirely relatable. I cried during Robin‘s very special pregnancy announcement ride.
Things started to click.
I slept better. I focused more at work and my body hurt less. My injury started to heal, not without the help of some very expensive regenerative therapeutics. I was no longer depressed. I stopped going to therapy, it no longer served my needs. I stopped taking my anti-depressant/anxiety meds. I was nervous, this hip injury had dominated my life on and off for nearly 5 years and the unpredictable nature of it had a tendency to send me into a complete downward spiral. But I still woke up every morning, threw on my overpriced, yet stylish leggings and sports bra, clipped into the bike pedals and rode my heart out with thousands of strangers doing the same all over the world.
As a marketer, I'm fascinated with both my burgeoning obsession and dedication to Peloton as well as the incredible community that Peloton has fostered, leading to the kind of advocacy that brands aspire to have.
The beauty of Peloton's cult-like following can be attributed to many factors - celebrity like instructors, brand messaging that cascades all the way into the customer experience, an immersive music experience, an intentional and dedicated approach to inequality and racial injustice and an experience beyond the physical bike.
They elevate their instructors to celebrity status, while still allowing them to maintain their authenticity and direct connection to their devoted followers. They give instructors the freedom and license to be authentic and the flexibility to promote their own endeavors (Matt is a personal trainer runs his own coaching business, Ally is MC for the Knick's and runs her own company LoveSquad). They leverage instructor Instagram accounts as an extension of their own marketing channels, where they can double down on messaging for new releases, big announcements, upcoming themed rides and more. The coaches themselves use it as a platform to engage with their fans, elevating them to celebrity status, but also an opportunity to market their independent ventures. With 300k - 700k followers on Instagram for each of the instructors, the reach of their "free" marketing is extensive. I just about died when Selena responded to my Instagram story about one of her workouts last month. The instructors are now enjoying expanded exposure and every piece of PR coverage of an instructor is one for Peloton.
The language they use fosters encouragement, community and connection. This is a result of their very intentional brand identity: the word Peloton itself represents a team of cyclists who all work together in a staged cycling race, where the result is that together the team can be even more effective. They address customers as "Team" and "Athletes" and the instructors themselves are known for their encouraging, uplifting and motivating one liners that actually feel relatable and achievable. Their tag line of "together we go far" encourages team building and celebrates each individuals contribution.They celebrate everything - think about those milestone rides and shout outs. People love recognition and encouragement.
Music plays a significant role in motivation, engagement and marketing. The Prince themed ride was a really big deal. If you recall, the Prince catalog was pulled from virtually all streaming services back in 2015. It's since been made available, but this kind of group activity to collectively come together and pay tribute to the legend of Prince was nothing short of epic. The variety and selection of music has broad appeal, from classic rock to EDM, it brings people together who otherwise may be less interested in carving out time to workout. I could actually see my mom maybe enjoying some of the 80s or classic rock rides. Maybe.
They are vocal on matters of inequality and racial injustice - with dedicated programming around Pride, Latin History and Black History month. They double down on the programming with unique Apparel releases, such as the coveted Pride Apparel and this year, for Black History Month, they partnered with several Black Artists on exclusive apparel collabs.
They rounded out their programming beyond the bike with yoga, strength, bootcamps, meditation and of course the Tread, which is all accessible through mobile apps and connected devices - broadening the appeal to customers who don't have the budget or space for a Peloton bike or tread shrine.
When my son says, “Mom, are you doing a Peloton workout again?” I get to smile back and say “Yep!”.
One of my favorite social media content creators, Kim Holderness (of the Holderness Family) recently produced this amazing parody of what it's like to become Peloton obsessed and it could not be more accurate. I am also now seeking information on Kim's LB name so I can high five her!
You can find me on the leaderboard #HuckSaysHi.
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