Peloton is a fitness brand that revolutionized its category in 2012 reinventing the stationary bike, featuring a screen that live-streams workout classes with world-class instructors.

The Challenge

We were given a brief to future proof the brand by defining a unique value proposition that elevates Peloton amidst increasing competition.

My Role

Research and Analysis | Brand Strategy Visual Design | Client Presentation
Content Writing

Our Approach

Our Process consisted of three main phases.

1. Immersion & Discovery

An audit of the cultural, historical, and social landscapes that impact your audience, brand and business and will shape behavior around physical wellness in the next 5-10 years.

2. Insights & Implications

Test hypotheses developed during the discovery process, uncovering compelling insights and actionable opportunities for Peloton.

3. Translation & Action

Leverage insights to develop a cohesive brand narrative, brand positioning tools and actionable approaches for bringing the brand strategy to life.

1. Immersion & Discovery

We conducted an audit to inspire our client to see the brand, the world, their product and the category in which they operate differently by revealing not-so-obvious information in the form of considered observations. The categories that we identified for our audit were:

Investment

Investigates the motivations behind investment to address barriers to entry, purchase, and brand engagement.

Community

Interprets the mechanisms of community, to uncover new opportunities for Peloton to strengthen and expand theirs.

Addiction

Explores facets of addictive behavior in sports and culture to identify how Peloton might leverage these in appealing to prospective and current members.

Celebrity

Examines the changing dynamics of celebrity - how they gain status and engage with the public - to find insights Peloton can use to build and manage their brand influence.

Adrenaline

Considers the triggers and effects of adrenaline to help engage people with the Peloton brand rather than just the activity or product.

Celebrity

My team was responsible for Celebrity in the cultural audit.
Our objective was to unpack what makes celebrity a force of status, motivation and connection today, to help Peloton build and maintain influence across its community.

Methodology

Our lens: looking for new and different strategies employed by celebrities and their communities today

100+

MEDIA SOURCES

3 PODCASTS

6 RESEARCH REPORTS

4 FILMS

9 PELOTON CLASSES

Key Findings

Intimacy

Relationships between idols and fans increasingly try to mimic friendships, defined by intimacy, access and real-time interaction

How can we enhance brand love by creating more opportunities for intimacy?

Leadership

Today's celebrities are cause-driven leaders who have greater influence in more areas of our lives.

How can we define and expand our role as a cause-driven leader in customers' lives?

Empowerment

Celebrities are taking a back seat by giving fans the power to develop community through shared interests.

Can we empower organic customer engagement & step out of the way to share the spotlight?

2. Insights and Implications

Our next step was to understand consumer attitudes and beliefs and their influence on behavior, which provides clues that lead to new opportunities. We divided our audience into four major categories:

Performance

My team was responsible for Performance. We named them
the Olympians. Here's a reflection on our audience:

They own their power. The power to turn any can’t, into can. Success is a never ending cycle, fueled by meticulous effort.
They crush goals, so they can set new goals.
Again and again.

Key Findings

Daily intentions

The first thing Olympians do when they wake up is begin assessing when and where exercise is going to fit into their day. Often, it’s the first thing they do after coffee.

Expert Guidance

Olympians look to experts to help them achieve. These are the people in the corner of the gym, hustling through a custom routine with a trainer.

Daily consumption

Olympians pay attention to what they consume. They are masters at delayed gratification, denying themselves “unhealthy” things in service of their larger goals.

Measuring + tracking

Olympians are deeply in tune with their bodies, paying close attention to physical functions and health with supportive technology or mindful techniques.