To err is human

Corporate brands can make mistakes too—since they are personalities too. They make stupid claims, have outrageous opinions, and interact frankly with their audience. However, when a brand crosses the line, the audience expects it to apologize and make up for that.

The question is, should the brand even apologize when it didn’t make any mistake?

For example, Peloton’s holiday ad. It received a massive backlash for it and this was the reply:

“We constantly hear from our members how their lives have been meaningfully and positively impacted after purchasing or being gifted a Peloton Bike or Tread, often in ways that surprise them. Our holiday spot was created to celebrate that fitness and wellness journey. While we’re disappointed in how some have misinterpreted this commercial, we are encouraged by — and grateful for — the outpouring of support we’ve received from those who understand what we were trying to communicate.”

Peloton’s stock price went down by 9 percent. Should Peloton have put out a proper apology saying something like “I am sorry for what I said”? Well, Peloton’s management wanted to stick by their action.

Strangely, when COVID-19 happened, a few months later, it saw its sales grow by leaps and bounds.

Clearly, some “sensitive” people who call out cat owners on animal cruelty for making the cat pose in front of the camera or support being ridiculously fat and unhealthy as a life choice, went out of their way to make it hard on Peloton. Just go look up any cat photo on Facebook and you will see how these keyboard activists are up with their nonsensical stuff.

What about Peloton’s core audience though? Evidently, they supported the ad and the reply too.

Otherwise, the sales would not have gone up, right?

TAKEAWAY: As a big brand, forget about the rest of the world. You cannot please everyone. Focus on your loyal followers instead.