Peloton Will Survive That Surprise Death on Sex and the City Reboot

Peloton has been caught in the sadness and shock experienced by fans of the Sex and the City franchise as word of the death of—spoiler alert!—Mr. Big after using the company's exercise machine in the first episode of the HBO series reboot. Peloton did not respond to Adweek's questions about its ancillary role in the Sex and the City update, titled And Just Like That... But it did tell a number of news outlets that it was not informed that Mr. Big, played by Chris Noth, would suffer a fatal heart attack in the show's first episode, which debuted Dec. 10 on the HBO Max streaming service. The episode portrays Mr. Big as a typically obsessed Peloton user. He even stirs some jealousy in his longtime on-again-off-again paramour (now wife) Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, by constantly referring to his Peloton instructor, Allegra. The instructor is played by a real-life Peloton guide, Jess King. Marketers shouldn't think like lawyers.Allen Adamson, managing partner, Metaforce A number of commenters have claimed that Peloton has lost control of its brand narrative by appearing unaware of how its product would be placed in the HBO episode. But to Metaforce managing partner and NYU Stern adjunct professor Allen Adamson, actual harm to the company appears overstated. In fact, he sees only upside in this case for Peloton. "This falls under 'all publicity is good," Adamson said. "Part of Peloton's appeal is that it's a social status symbol. Saying you're on a Peloton is the equivalent of going to a hot club. So being on a first episode of a highly anticipated show is a positive. It shows the brand is trending." Peloton has appeared defensive. But even in this case, it seems to be taking the situation lightly. The company's communications team are clearly avid viewers of the original series. In various news reports, Peloton spokespeople have pointed to Mr. Big's unhealthy lifestyle of cigars, cocktails and steaks. Despite the episode portraying him as a Peloton devotee, poor heart health was Mr. Big's hallmark until his collapse in his marble shower. "I can understand the legal team feeling anxious about associating death with a Peloton product," Adamson said. "But marketers shouldn't think like lawyers. They can capitalize and ride the attention successfully if they embrace being part of a much-watched and talked-about show. Still, I find it hard to believe Peloton wasn't aware about Mr. Big's death. "In any case, it wasn't like Mr. Big got sucked into the machine and died that way. So Peloton can easily claim it wasn't culpable in his death." There have been a number of playbooks Peloton could reference for surviving the death of Mr. Big. A good similar example of a popular product's role in the untimely end of a main character was when This Is Us' Jack was killed in a fire after using his Crockpot. A sign that brands that have been a part of tragic plotlines can use it to their advantage came when the actor who played Jack, Milo Ventimiglia, appeared in an ad before the Super Bowl for Crockpot, urging viewers to forgive the brand as he ladled out chili. "Companies get preoccupied with anything that appears negative," Adamson said. "They lose sight of how they can be part of the cultural conversation and keep themselves relevant." Why Karina Kogan May Be the Reason You Purchased a Peloton Bike This Year