‘And Just Like That’ Mr. Big is alive again in new Peloton ad with a twist

American fitness brand Peloton has hit back at the online controversy surrounding the death of a popular character on HBO Max's new TV series And Just Like That, a revival of Sex and The City, with an ad. The show, which premiered recently, showed Carrie Bradshaw's husband, Big, suffering from a heart attack after a ride on a Peloton bike with a fictional instructor named Allegra. According to multiple media outlets including NBC News, fans were outraged and Peloton's stock even dropped 11.3% last week after Big's death, marking a 19-month low.

However, Peloton has a surprise for viewers. Big, played by Chris Noth, is very much alive, at least in the spot which it debuted not too long ago. "And just like that...he's alive," it tweeted. In the ad, Noth is seen sitting in front of the fireplace with Jess King who plays Allegra in the HBO Max show and is also a real Peloton instructor. He tells her: "To new beginnings". King answered: "To new beginnings. You look great."

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To which Noth said: "Oh I feel great. Should we take another ride? Life's too short not to."

The scene then cuts to both Noth and King laughing in the background while a Peloton bike stands in the foreground. This is also accompanied by a voiceover from actor Ryan Reynolds who said: "And just like that, the world was reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs, and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers resting pulse, and reduces blood fat levels."

The spot ends with Reynolds saying: "He's alive." This mimics Big's death scene in the show, which ends with Bradshaw saying in a voiceover: "And just like that, Big died." while she hugs him and breaks down in tears.

The ad received mixed reviews on Twitter, with some netizens praising Peloton for "clever crisis marketing management" and the humour present in the ad. Another also said Peloton "hit us all with an UNO reverse card" while some were impressed at the fast turnover by Peloton.

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However, others did not hold back on their criticism as some pointed out that the scene was "insensitive" and might be triggering for widows. Another commented that Peloton "seemed more interested in making a joke to protect sales than making a disclaimer to spot being sued" while another said this PR move "screams sinking in quicksand as the deadly heart attack takes hold." One netizen also said that this ad was not necessary as the negative reaction will blow over very fast.

Big's death in And Just Like That resulted in the creation of several Internet memes.

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Peloton was recently counter-sued by lululemon, five days after Peloton brought its own case to the Manhattan federal court, claiming that lululemon's initial claims through a cease and desist letter on Peloton copying its designs had no merits.

The dispute between both companies began after Peloton launched its private-label apparel brand in September. The product launch came after the end of a five-year co-branding relationship between lululemon and Peloton which started 2016. According to Peloton's lawsuit, the termination of the Peloton-lululemon co-branding relationship was "amicable" and lululemon did not object in any way to Peloton’s termination decision, or Peloton’s offering of its own active wear apparel.

Related article:
Lululemon and Peloton in legal feud over 'copycat' products