I couldn’t help but wonder, is there a better pop culture crisis comms response?
One of the most talked-about pop culture news stories this week stemmed from the premiere of And Just Like That…, the series revival/sequel of Sex and the City. There was plenty of buzz around the general response to the first two episodes, which were released this week, but the flurry of news has been surrounding a very specific plot point.
Fair warning: if you haven’t picked up on it yet, this essay will be discussing details of the first two episodes of And Just Like That… If you haven’t tuned in yet, proceed with caution.
In the final moments of the first episode, John aka “Mr. Big,” a supporting character and husband of the show’s main protagonist and narrator, Carrie Bradshaw, dies.
The death is sudden and shocking, and is a risky way to kick off a revival of a beloved television series. Big’s character was woven throughout the entirety of the original show, half of a tumultuous will they or won’t they relationship that was a core element of SATC, and finally, finally culminated in a happily ever after in the series finale and its subsequent film (the Sex and the City 2 film is terrible and not canon).
As surprising of a narrative move this was, it was also one that made sense — this major life moment sets up a new world of storytelling for the show. Big had also made a full character arc, and it was a natural end to his character.
All this being said, there was another level of Big’s demise that we haven’t covered yet — he died of a heart attack … shortly after completing a workout on his Peloton. The moment we saw this occur, my jaw dropped — not only because of the implications it had on the future of the show, but because of the implications it had on Peloton’s brand.
I’ve worked in the marketing / communications / brand field for 10+ years now (ugh, I’m old), and watching crisis communications unfold is my popcorn moment. I love pop culture as well, and I’m never more excited as to when brand crises mash-up with a favorite TV show or movie. Seeing how a company responds to an allegation or threat to their credibility, as innocuous as one like this may be, says so much about their brand.
In broad terms, a lack of or slow response by a btandcould mean they are out of touch, and a vicious or defensive response could show they are overly serious and unappreciative of their audience. With a buzz-worthy allegation like this, it’s important to strike the balance of defense and playing into the narrative. Let’s see how Peloton did.
The first inklings of trouble
Like any SATC fan, I was excited to check out the AJLT trailer when it first came out. And in that trailer, I saw what seemed to be a marked piece of product placement.
It’s Big on a Peloton! We rarely saw this guy not in a suit on the series, which is why it originally stuck out to me. But Big was always more of a wallflower than Carrie, and it tracked that he might pick up some healthier habits as he ticked closer to retirement age, and would hop on the 2021 obsession with at-home biking.
But this shot was very clearly a Peloton; although SATC has name-dropped a million times before, it was usually always fashion designers or trendy New York City restaurants. Why Peloton? Was this brand a noteworthy plot point?
As we get into the episode, we learn that yes, it sure is. Big is not only a Peloton user, but has a favorite coach and is about to take his 1,000th ride. He genuinely loves it, which makes it all the more heartbreaking (and slightly bizarre) when he has a deadly heart attack at the tail end of a ride.
I couldn’t help but wonder, were the writers trying to make Big’s death even more affecting through attaching it to something — Peloton — so many of us have experienced and had similar excitement over in the recent years? Did they think through what this would look like for Peloton? And most importantly: how in the world is Peloton going to respond?
Crisis communications part one— the crisis
A great example of a classic pop culture crisis communications moment is the This Is Us / Crock-Pot debacle of 2018. For those unfamiliar, This Is Us had been teasing a known character death for seasons, and we were finally going to find out what happened to cause his untimely death in a very special episode. Long story short, it turns out he died in a house fire … caused by a faulty Crock-Pot.
This is part one: the crisis of crisis communications. The crisis is exactly what it sounds like — some sort of allegation or event that could damage brand credibility. It’s important here to remember what a brand exactly is — it’s the perception of a company by its audience. And if a wildly popular show says Crock-Pots can kill people, that stands to damage their perception in a lot of folks!
Just like with And Just Like That…, the crisis has occurred. Now, how, what, when, and where the brand responds is in their hands.
The How — what tone is appropriate for your audience? What’s appropriate for the current environment and the crisis at hand?
The What — what type of content and information is needed to combat this crisis?
The When — speed is of the utmost importance after a crisis, but what information needs to be delivered immediately vs. later on?
The Where — where and in what medium should the information be delivered?
For Peloton, there were a few nuances to figure out. The public response to Peloton wasn’t widely worrisome (unlike the Crock-Pot example above, most folks knew their Peloton wasn’t putting them in imminent danger), but it was effecting their stock price, and was overall not a great look for the company — especially because it was clear that they lended their likeness to be used in the show.
Crisis communications part two — the communications
There’s two primary goals to any crisis communications response — 1) to mitigate the initial crisis (the bare minimum), and 2) to shift the discourse. Just like public relations genius Don Draper once stated, “if you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”
Our friends at Crock-Pot absolutely did this after the This Is Us debacle, mostly through a social media blitz that spawned deeply positive public response, and even significantly upticked their sales the next year (this isn’t a Crock-Pot essay, but you can read more about that here, because it’s truly great).
We’ll see how this effects Peloton in the long-term, but their immediate responses have mostly hit the mark.
Mitigating the crisis
The anticipated first two episodes of AJLT hit HBO Max at midnight last Thursday, which covered Big’s Peloton-induced death and funeral. By that evening, there was plenty of buzz online about the episodes (including Peloton’s placement in them), and this BuzzFeed News article from that afternoon was the first place I saw a statement from Peloton:
When pushed for details by BuzzFeed News on how the product placement came to be, Peloton spokesperson Denise Kelly said the company approved King’s appearance but indicated that it didn’t know about the plotline.
“HBO procured the Peloton Bike on their own,” Kelly said. “Peloton was aware that a Bike would be used in the episode and that Jess King would be portraying a fictional Peloton instructor.”
“Due to confidentiality reasons, HBO did not disclose the larger context surrounding the scene to Peloton in advance,” Kelly said.
This statement makes it clear: Peloton was a willing participant in the show, but was unaware of how the company or its product would be framed. Clearly, something they’ll be checking in the future.
The article also contained a quote from a member of Peloton’s “health and wellness advisory council”:
“I’m sure SATC fans, like me, are saddened by the news that Mr. Big dies of a heart attack. Mr. Big lived what many would call an extravagant lifestyle — including cocktails, cigars, and big steaks — and was at serious risk as he had a previous cardiac event in Season 6. These lifestyle choices and perhaps even his family history, which often is a significant factor, were the likely cause of his death. Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.”
If you read closer in the BuzzFeed News article, it seems that Peloton sent this statement first, then backtracking to the more nuanced, factual statement that focuses on their lack of involvement in the filming of the show and its plot construction.
Although that statement is helpful to show that Peloton didn’t approve of the narrative, this one is quite a bit better from a brand perspective. It’s quite biting and, sure, victim blames to an extent. But it begins the process of flipping the script — focusing on the company’s product and brand differentiators (helping people cultivate healthier lifestyles and, therefore, live longer and healthier lives).
Shifting the discourse
After the above article was published, a few additional pieces were published, but none with additional spokesperson quotes.
Perhaps Peloton was going to lay low, wait for it to pass; and maybe they thought they’d overstepped their bounds with the intense quote blaming Big’s heart attack on red meat and liquor. Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed. This was the ideal time for a few well-crafted social media posts poking fun at the situation, or a few tounge-in-cheek blog posts about Peloton safety. The people (aka, me) were craving content, and Peloton wasn’t giving it to us.
Well, turns out, I just had to wait until Sunday afternoon, when this masterpiece hit Twitter and TikTok:
This clip is doing exactly what it should be — it’s flipping the script, in multiple ways:
It shifts the narrative that AJLT set up — it features star power (Chris Noth, who plays Big) and the Peloton coach who played a fictional coach in the show. In this narrative, Big didn’t actually die — he ran off with the Peloton coach, and they’re enjoying a cozy night by the fire before taking another spin on their bikes. While not canonical, it indulges AJLT watchers in a fun fantasy where Big is still alive.
Building on top of this, it’s also memorable and immediately noteworthy because of the star power — it wouldn’t have been as effective without it. Ryan Reynolds also does the voiceover, adding another layer.
Lastly, the impressions on this speak for themselves. Not everyone is going to buy a Peloton after seeing this ad (though, I’m sure some did), but it creates a positive, humorous association for Peloton in our heads. Just like with any other brand, most folks need many touchpoints before they make a purchase — and if you followed Peloton, indulged in more of their content, or sought out more information after this, you’re continuing down that touchpoint pathway. It doesn’t mean you’ll definitely become a Peloton user eventually, but it absolutely increases your chances.
In a final point, this ad was timely as heck. Sure, it took a little while longer than I’d expect to hit, but once I saw the star power behind it, it immediately made sense.
Not only did Peloton survive their crisis and mitigate it, but they flipped the script in a big way. Who can say what it will look like in the long term, but a full two days later, and this clip is what’s present in the news cycle — not reactions to the actual episode.
And don’t forget:
And just like that, I might be falling into the Peloton sales funnel.