Peloton's Olympic Champions
Analysing the performance of Peloton's Olympic Champions marketing campaign.
In April 2021, Peloton announced it was sponsoring a diverse group of Olympians and Paralympians to coincide with the games in Japan. A number of the athletes featured heavily at the games. So how did the campaign fair and what did it achieve?
Who are the Champions?
Who are the stand out performers?
Allyson Felix is now the most decorated American Track and Field athlete in Olympic history, with a total of 11 medals: seven gold, three silver, and one bronze. Not only has Allyson grown her reputation as an athlete, articles relating to Nike reducing her salary following her pregnancy have gone viral. Allyson left Nike in favour of starting her own company, Saysh. Allyson said Nike reduced her salary by 70% following news that she’d fallen pregnant. Nike changed its policy following Allyson’s departure. A decision that has cost Nike much in reputational damage.
Allyson’s Instagram following has seen a 48% increase since April 2021. Her personal brand has benefitted significantly with many searching Google to understand the footwear she wore to break Olympic records.
Allyson looks like an inspired choice for Peloton. She embodies much of the spirit that Peloton seeks to empower its members with. She’s a hugely successful athlete, mother and business woman, inspiring millions around the world.
"There have been so many women before me who had to stay silent about their fight. And so for me to be able to step out and I think my daughter gave me the courage to do that. But I think that was really the thing, that this has been going on for far too long. And I hope that we're really changing things." Allyson Felix, August 2021
Andre De Grasse won a gold medal in the men’s 200m. It was his first gold medal. He credits he renewed enthusiasm for his sport to his commitment to hard work and dedication, where previously he took competition less seriously. Andre famously finished second to Usain Bolt in the 200m at the Rio Olympics and third in the 100m final. Andre’s Instagram following has increased by 40% since April 2021. Again, he also seems like a fantastic choice of brand ambassador for Peloton.
Usain Bolt didn’t feature at the Tokyo games following his retirement from competition in 2017. He continues to be synonymous with the track and still holds the world record for both 100m (9.56 seconds) and 200m (19.19 seconds) events. He is the most followed athlete amongst Peloton’s champions and regularly shares his Peloton rides on the platform.
John John Florence didn’t receive a medal at the games but competed for Team USA in surfing.
Angelique Kerber withdraw from the Olympics in July citing fatigue.
Ellie Downie and sister Becky Downie weren’t selected for Team GB and didn’t compete.
Kathleen Baker didn’t qualify for Tokyo missing out in the trials. Despite breaking her foot she was able to train and compete at the trials, but sadly missed out on a place in the Team USA squad.
Scout Bassett is due to compete at the Paralympics and I wish her well.
What did Peloton want to achieve?
This brand campaign looked to build the following areas:
Positive effect on ad recall
Positive effect on purchase intent
Peloton’s aim was to cement the relationship between its brand and the Champions. Champions uploaded a videos to their Instagram feeds, showing the teaser marketing in the build up to the games. Peloton wanted to build a lasting connection between the Champions, meaning whenever you see the Champion, you think of Peloton. These types of brand campaigns boost awareness and consideration.
Instagram influencer strategy
30th July Peloton launched the campaign (above) featuring Allyson which at the time of writing has been viewed 145,000 times. Allyson’s increase in followers will introduced new people to Peloton, perhaps those that haven’t seen the brand before. Allyson is an inspirational figure that fits brilliantly with the Peloton brand. Maintaining a long-term relationship with her is likely the next step. Perhaps collaborating with her clothing label would be another nice tie-up. Similar to how Peloton collaborated with Adidas.
Despite some athletes not featuring at the games, all have shared a Peloton promotional video on their respective Instagram profiles. Based on Instagram followers pre and post games, any athlete that did well at the games saw a significant increase in followers, expanding the reach of Peloton’s campaign.
Brand linkage to the Olympics
Peloton would have hoped that it was able to link its brand to the Olympic games without being an official sponsor. Many people will be looking to start a fitness journey, inspired by the athletes at the games. Peloton is ideally placed to capitalise using its Champions’ social networks to build brand awareness.
Summary
Despite some athletes not featuring at the games, Allyson Felix and Andre De Grasse saw huge successful which resulted in an increase in Instagram followers. This meant post campaign promotional videos reached a new audience, beyond the expectations of Peloton. Overall I believe the campaign has been successful and I hope Peloton will double down on its collaborations with Allyson Felix and Andre De Grasse.
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