What do you think of Peloton commercial?

[hjffkj]

3 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

What "involvement"? The guy in the commercial does not seem to have done anything other than write a check for $2,000, yet the commercial ends with the woman who did all the work thanking the guy who wrote a check for changing her life. Presumably if he was actually involved, she wouldn't have had to video herself everyday and surprise him a year later with a vlog of everything he missed!

It would be different if the commercial showed him there supporting her all year and congratulating her at the end for all her hard work and reaching her goals, but instead it's all about her gratitude to him for paying a ridiculous amount of money for a bike. And I think that was exactly the message it was designed to send — if you buy someone a Peloton, they will be incredibly, grovelingly grateful and you can take credit for their success! Where they went wrong was not understanding that the cynicism and sexism in the ad would be far more apparent than they intended.

In a 30 second commercial you can't fit the dh in everything. Her hard work is shown throughout the video because it is the focus of the ad but the end shows that one can show appreciation towards a supportive spouse even if they are the ones who actually accomplished their gials. I imagine it the same way I imagine my dh supporting me because that story makes more sense than her giving him this blog present without him ever being involved the rest of the year. Clearly he wasn't doing the workouts with her since they had one bike. But for someone to show appreciation the way she did I imagine throughout the year he asked how the workouts were going, encouraged her on the days she didn't want to get on the bike but knew she could, etc.

[Corraleno]

1 minute ago, DesertBlossom said:

It's a commercial, not a full length movie. People are assuming things that just can't be assumed from a 30 second commercial.

But if you're going to make a commercial that uses a fictional storyline to get its message across (versus a celebrity endorsement, or a techy commercial that shows all the features, etc.) then it better tell the story you want it to tell. If a large number of viewers read a very different story than the one you intended, then it's not a successful commercial. There are plenty of successful commercials that manage to tell a great little story in 60 or even 30 seconds and sell the product very effectively. This one was not one of them. 

[sassenach]

The Popcast (a podcast about pop culture) had a funny take on this whole thing in this week's episode. 

[marbel]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

This is the part I don't get.  This wasn't some youtube upload.  It was a commercial with actors.  What's she fearful of?  The director?Messing up her lines?  I do not understand this level of backlash over a mediocre commercial that does no harm.  As witch hunts go, this one is especially odd.

Well of course she is an actor.  And to me, she played the part of a woman who is fearful of disappointing her husband.

I'm not up in arms about the ad, though I find the discussion interesting because of the different interpretations. But does it do no harm? I don't know. I did like this that Lady Florida said upthread:

Quote

 It might not be there to make a statement and we might not think about it at first, but when people talk about systemic anything - systemic racism, systemic sexism, systemic isms, this is what they mean. The people who made the commercial probably didn't even realize what they were doing. That's how embedded these things are. It's there, constantly giving us messages we don't even realize we're receiving. And many people, rightly imo, want it to stop.

People talk a lot about the messages in advertising, often about the messages sent to young women about their appearance - how they should dress, wear their makeup, what their bodies should look like.  This isn't about that, but it could be viewed similarly. 

Like I said before, I am not outraged by the ad, and I have no connection to Peloton either as a customer or shareholder, so this ad doesn't really matter to me. I can see why some people view it negatively.  I also get why some people view it positively or neutrally. None of us are wrong in our interpretation; if anything about this is odd to me, it's how many people are insistent that their interpretation is the correct one.  If more people see it as a positive, Peleton will sell more bikes. The real question is - was the ad effective in getting people to buy the product?  

 

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by marbel

[Jean in Newcastle]

The actor has a face that naturally looks anxious.  If anything, it was a casting problem.  She was not trying to act like a battered subservient wife (until the gin commercial).  She was trying to act like someone who is starting out something new, has typical first day jitters, sticks it out through thick and thin and is then happy that she did. 

[Katy]

Who know one stupid commercial could be such a Rorschach test for marriages?

[ktgrok]

I wonder if any of the people who view it negatively are the demographic they were trying to reach anyway - like if you are the type that does spinning, and are into fitness, would you read any of that into it or would the commercial make sense to you in the way it was intended?

[Corraleno]

What makes the gin ad so brilliant is that it can be read in two totally different ways, each of which "validates" the viewer's original opinion of the Peloton ad. So people who found the Peloton ad to be sexist and stupid tend to read the gin ad as being about the character of "Peloton wife," who has now left her jerky husband and is looking forward "to a new beginning," while those who considered the furore over the original ad to be much ado about nothing read the gin ad as being about the actress, who is shell-shocked by the reaction to the Peloton ad and is hoping the gin commercial is the "new beginning" that allows her to put the Peloton craziness behind her (which it actually accomplished).  Genius marketing move by Reynolds.

[DesertBlossom]

24 minutes ago, StellaM said:

Now I understand the gin ad, I have way more problems with it than the bike ad.

How gross to use abuse as a punchline to a joke in order to sell alcohol (you know, that substance implicated in abuse). 

Disgusting.

But you know, I'm glad people find it so amusing.

Now the husband is an abusive alcoholic? Or am I misunderstanding you?

[Corraleno]

35 minutes ago, StellaM said:

 

Actually, I did not 'see abuse' in the bike ad, but I sure as heck see people making cash out of laughing at abuse in the second one. So brilliant.

Huh? No one is "laughing at abuse." I have no idea how anyone would get that from the gin ad.

What people find so clever about it is the fact that Reynolds was able to turn the debacle of the Peloton ad into something positive for both his brand and the actress. Monica Ruiz may have had a very hard time getting additional work after the Peloton ad, because people would immediately identify her as "the Peloton wife" and most brands aren't going to want that stigma associated with their dish soap or shampoo or whatever. 

So Reynolds decided to flip the script and use that identity as part of his own ad, so now she's the "actress who did that funny gin ad for Ryan Reynolds" instead of "that actress who looked so anxious and miserable on a Peloton." He simultaneously mocked the tone-deafness of the original ad, mocked the OTT reaction to it, gave the actress her career back, and got fantastic publicity for a small Oregon-based craft gin company that few people ever heard of.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Corraleno

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, StellaM said:

Now I understand the gin ad, I have way more problems with it than the bike ad.

How gross to use abuse as a punchline to a joke in order to sell alcohol (you know, that substance implicated in abuse). 

Disgusting.

But you know, I'm glad people find it so amusing.

 

46 minutes ago, StellaM said:

 

Actually, I did not 'see abuse' in the bike ad, but I sure as heck see people making cash out of laughing at abuse in the second one. So brilliant.

Wait - where in any of the ads does it say her husband is abusive? I took it to be he gave an insensitive gift, and she is upset that he may think she's fat or something - at worst. 

[Matryoshka]

7 hours ago, Kassia said:

That's me.  I get depressed if I don't exercise.  I need those endorphins.  And I love the results - I don't mean weight loss, I mean muscle tone, cardiovascular fitness, and less anxiety for me.  My resting heart rate is very low thanks to being fit.  

I've never liked to exercise for the sake of exercise.  I used to be reasonably fit when I was in college and thereafter living in the city just from walking around a ton, and I enjoyed some biking and rollerblading as outdoor activities, but I never used them for a cardio workout.   Later after kids and the 'burbs I'd done Pilates and Yoga which could keep me toned, but don't do a ton for cardio.  I've only really started working out hard this past year (in an effort to finally lose some stubborn pounds I'd packed on when the kids were in high school) - and wow, I finally get the 'runner's high' - even if I'm not actually running, the workouts I do get my heart rate up for at least half an hour, and yes, I feel great afterwards.  My mood is lifted all day, and now I really miss it if I don't go.  This is not something I thought I'd ever relate to, but I do actually look forward to it now.  Only took me a bit over half a century to figure this out, lol...

(Still don't wanna take a spin class, unless I get to sit on a pillow instead of a hard bike seat. Did it once, never again.  Ow.)

Edited December 11, 2019 by Matryoshka

[Selkie]

Am I the only one who didn't realize it was the same actress in both the Peloton and gin commercials? She looks like a lot of other actresses to me, just kind of nondescript, so I didn't put it together.🤷‍♀️

[ktgrok]

34 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

I've never liked to exercise for the sake of exercise.  I used to be reasonably fit when I was in college and thereafter living in the city just from walking around a ton, and I enjoyed some biking and rollerblading as outdoor activities, but I never used them for a cardio workout.   Later after kids and the 'burbs I'd done Pilates and Yoga which could keep me toned, but don't do a ton for cardio.  I've only really started working out hard this past year (in an effort to finally lose some stubborn pounds I'd packed on when the kids were in high school) - and wow, I finally get the 'runner's high' - even if I'm not actually running, the workouts I do get my heart rate up for at least half an hour, and yes, I feel great afterwards.  My mood is lifted all day, and now I really miss it if I don't go.  This is not something I thought I'd ever relate to, but I do actually look forward to it now.  Only took me a bit over half a century to figure this out, lol...

(Still don't wanna take a spin class, unless I get to sit on a pillow instead of a hard bike seat. Did it once, never again.  Ow.

Yup. I have no idea how people manage spin bikes on the regular. Ouch. Not somewhere i want to build up a callous, lol. 

28 minutes ago, StellaM said:

 

It doesn't, and I didn't say that, and like the poster above, you are misunderstanding me.

A director thought it would be funny and attention grabbing to take concern about abuse (from people who saw hints of an abuse dynamic in the ad - I didn't really see that but I see where ppl who saw suggestions or shadows of coercive control dynamics are coming from) and then make a 'funny' ad where the situation of real abuse survivors is played for laughs.  To sell alcohol. Which is a subtance implicated in many instances of abuse. 

There is no ''husband'. There are ad people making stories and actors. I do not like the story of the gin ad, and I don't find it funny. Apparently that is because I am dim or over-sensitive or lack a sense of humor. Whatever. I'm entitled to my opinion about a flipping gin ad. 

But, is the gin ad about making fun of abuse, or just the idea that she got a bad gift from a clueless and perhaps insensitive husband? I haven't seen anything in the media about concerns about the husband character being abusive, just a dolt for giving his wife the bike. I've watched a few late night talk shows/comedians riff on it, and no one mentioned abuse that I saw. More along the lines of a husband getting his wife a vacuum. 

[Matryoshka]

14 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

Yup. I have no idea how people manage spin bikes on the regular. Ouch. Not somewhere i want to build up a callous, lol. 

But, is the gin ad about making fun of abuse, or just the idea that she got a bad gift from a clueless and perhaps insensitive husband? I haven't seen anything in the media about concerns about the husband character being abusive, just a dolt for giving his wife the bike. I've watched a few late night talk shows/comedians riff on it, and no one mentioned abuse that I saw. More along the lines of a husband getting his wife a vacuum. 

I thought the gin ad was about the actress (not her character with the imaginary husband) being bullied/shamed/etc in social media and needing a safe space.  The character, whether or not she looks scared of exercise (I'll agree that's a weird look), claims to love the gift and thanks her imaginary dh.  The character seems the type who would be bragging to her friends about her pricey new toy and her new fit body, not looking stunned and needing sympathy.  The actress is the one getting piled on with mean tweets.

(I would never have seen either ad if they hadn't been linked here - I haven't watched commercials in years.  TiVo and Netflix  make this easy.  I don't even watch Hulu).

Edited December 12, 2019 by Matryoshka

[Kassia]

36 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

Yup. I have no idea how people manage spin bikes on the regular. Ouch. Not somewhere i want to build up a callous, lol. 

 

 

I have a spin bike at home and use a gel seat.  I imagine padded bike shorts would work for spin class where you can't bring your own seat.  

[sassenach]

2 hours ago, StellaM said:

 

Actually, I did not 'see abuse' in the bike ad, but I sure as heck see people making cash out of laughing at abuse in the second one. So brilliant.

The only abuse I'm seeing is the public thrashing she's suffered because people are so dedicated to finding ill intent and offense at every turn, they forget the fact that there's a real person being dragged through the mud in the process (who's probably genuinely worried about her career now that she's the "Peloton wife").

At least Reynolds gave her the option of changing her personal narrative.

[Katy]

The actress has definitely been abused by the public and on social media. 

And I agree with the suggestion that those who take frequent spin classes and are young and document their lives on YouTube or the gram are going to interpret this ad very differently than someone who doesn't.

[Scarlett]

Wait....I thought the gin ad was about the actress being abused by the public......she has literally been harassed over the commercial 

 

[sassenach]

2 hours ago, Scarlett said:

Wait....I thought the gin ad was about the actress being abused by the public......she has literally been harassed over the commercial 

 

It was. 

[KungFuPanda]

5 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Yup. I have no idea how people manage spin bikes on the regular. Ouch. Not somewhere i want to build up a callous, lol. 

But, is the gin ad about making fun of abuse, or just the idea that she got a bad gift from a clueless and perhaps insensitive husband? I haven't seen anything in the media about concerns about the husband character being abusive, just a dolt for giving his wife the bike. I've watched a few late night talk shows/comedians riff on it, and no one mentioned abuse that I saw. More along the lines of a husband getting his wife a vacuum. 

I thought the gin ad was about being frustrated over the Internet uproar that the bike ad caused. 

[SKL]

6 hours ago, Selkie said:

Am I the only one who didn't realize it was the same actress in both the Peloton and gin commercials? She looks like a lot of other actresses to me, just kind of nondescript, so I didn't put it together.🤷‍♀️

No, you are not the only one.

Face blindness is a thing.  😛

[SKL]

I was also very uncomfortable with the alcohol ad.  The idea of encouraging a friend to drink rapidly in quantity does not work for me at all.

[Laura Corin]

8 hours ago, Kassia said:

 

I have a spin bike at home and use a gel seat.  I imagine padded bike shorts would work for spin class where you can't bring your own seat.  

Read this yesterday about bikes and women: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/11/hannah-dines-on-going-public-with-her-labia-surgery-it-started-a-big-conversation

[Lady Florida.]

12 hours ago, Katy said:

The actress has definitely been abused by the public and on social media. 

 

So has the actor who, in his day job is an elementary school teacher.

[sassenach]

6 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Read this yesterday about bikes and women: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/dec/11/hannah-dines-on-going-public-with-her-labia-surgery-it-started-a-big-conversation

Interesting. I’m surprised those seats work for anyone, men included. I end up with UTIs and hemorrhoids anytime I’ve tried spin. 

[Valley Girl]

14 hours ago, Dotwithaperiod said:

 I

I thought the commercial was boring, the actress looked a bit like a nervous, but cute, hamster.

OK, that made me laugh. Your description is spot on!

[Matryoshka]

46 minutes ago, sassenach said:

Interesting. I’m surprised those seats work for anyone, men included. I end up with UTIs and hemorrhoids anytime I’ve tried spin. 

I'm wondering why those seats aren't much worse for men than women.  But that article says the saddles are designed with men in mind.  How is the standard design better for them?  I must be lacking in imagination - I would think they have even more tender bits in that area to get mashed - maybe they can move them out of the way?  But I thought I'd heard that serious male cyclists can have trouble in that area as well?  

[ktgrok]

3 hours ago, sassenach said:

Interesting. I’m surprised those seats work for anyone, men included. I end up with UTIs and hemorrhoids anytime I’ve tried spin. 

I'm sorry that happened to you, but sort of relieved to know it isn't just me that finds them to be physically incompatible with my anatomy. 

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

 

Well, that explains the BWP face. 

Seriously, though, I appreciate both Dines’ dilemma and her willingness to be open about her experience for the benefit of others. I love this line from her article: “When you share, people share back.” I especially love the context in which it is stated - the sharing of difficult circumstances. It’s hard to be vulnerable but it can lead to great fellowship. And hopefully great problem solving.

Saddle discomfort is the main reason I have kept cycling to an occasional leisure activity. I use a recumbent bike for exercise, which is more tolerable, but even then it’s not my top choice for cardio workouts.

Yeah, and spin bikes at say, a gym, are no where near as comfortable as the average bike seat for recreational biking. It was more like someone forgot to put the seat on, as it sure didn't feel like something a human would choose to sit on. 

2 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

I'm wondering why those seats aren't much worse for men than women.  But that article says the saddles are designed with men in mind.  How is the standard design better for them?  I must be lacking in imagination - I would think they have even more tender bits in that area to get mashed - maybe they can move them out of the way?  But I thought I'd heard that serious male cyclists can have trouble in that area as well?  

From what I read they can shift things up so they are not actually sitting ON the important bits. Still has to be painful, in general. The other rider she knows that had surgery had infections that spread, made me wonder if it was hidradenitis - I have I think a VERY mild form of it that is triggered by pressure/friction in that area. If I wear pants/shorts with a tight crotch (not overly tight, just normal tightness) for more than a day at a time I get cysts for lack of a better term, on my labia or perineum. They can be terrible if you have a severe case and get infected badly and require disfiguring surgery. 

[Katy]

Male cyclists get testicular cancer at much higher rates than the general population, so my guess is things in that area are chronically uncomfortable for both genders.