Is this exercise bike ad sexist?
How does presentation affect the message you’re trying to get across to an audience?
In a new holiday ad by Peloton, a woman gets an exercise bike as a gift from her husband, and it changes her life.
Looking at the video from a marketing perspective, it seems to hit all the usual targets a promotion should.
First, it presents a relatable customer journey as the busy woman finds time in her schedule to get some exercise in.
You can see her rushing home from work to fit exercise in her busy schedule. On other days, it shows her waking up in the early morning hours to get her work out on before the day starts.
She even finds time to work out, while her daughter is doing her homework. All the usual things that a working mom would do over the course of a year.
Then there is the storyline. There is a reason why some stories feel like you’ve already heard them before. Most of the stories that are told in movies and other media follow a familiar scheme called the hero’s journey.
This ad is no stranger to it — here is how that goes in a nutshell:
As the story begins the hero, or in this specific case, a busy woman has an established life. Then an element is introduced that changes the rules. Her husband gives her an…
