HOW PELOTON’S INSTRUCTORS REVOLUTIONIZED BRAND BUILDING

These days, it’s almost impossible to spend longer than half an hour on social media without seeing someone on a Peloton bike. From a relatively unheard of brand back in 2017 to the clear leader of the home fitness industry by the end of 2020, Peloton’s rise to the top is nothing short of remarkable. 

But just how did they achieve it? The answer is simple: they doubled-down on brand building. Specifically, they used their group of in-house fitness instructors as Peloton brand ambassadors to build hype, create community and, with that, generate revenue. Far from the overnight success they’ve been billed as, Peloton is a perfect example of using an effective brand-focused strategy to boost long-term success.

THE RISE OF PELOTON

Founded in 2021 and launched in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter funding campaign, Peloton has honed in on its target market from day one. The average price of their signature stationary bike costing around $2,000 and monthly membership starting at $39. Clearly, this product isn't for everyone. Step one of any good marketing strategy: find your market and go after them.

It’s easy to think that Peloton’s $1.5 billion revenue in 2020 was purely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Global lockdowns meant gym closures which meant at-home workouts became the only option. For a company selling a premium product that caters to that exact need, it’s hardly surprising to see these kinds of numbers.

But even in the years preceding the pandemic, Peloton was doubling its revenue year over year. 2020 wasn’t a fluke, it was business as usual with a cherry on top. Spin classes have been the playground of the wealthy elite for decades now, slowly trickling their way down to city-dwelling millennials and Gen Zers looking to add another extra curricular to their already-packed schedules. Peloton has known this since their founding and built their entire brand around this market. They saw the opportunity and jumped in with both feet.

Knowing that community classes were becoming increasingly unaffordable for the younger demographic, Peloton sought to disrupt the industry by bringing spin into people’s homes with their own equipment and 24/7 class access. But the secret weapon in their arsenal has always been the range of content that they produce to create a multidimensional experience for the user, expertly blending the real-life group class feel with class content that feels personal to the rider. You choose the music style, how long you want to ride for, the intensity of your workout–everything you’re offered as a Peloton customer is built around making the user experience perfect for you. And so much of that experience comes down to the Peloton instructors.

LEVERAGING INTERNAL BRAND AMBASSADORS 

Your brand is nothing without the people that make up your company and when your people are an essential part of your product, that’s even more important to remember. While Peloton has worked with plenty of online influencers in all kinds of ways, their biggest and most successful initiative has been in turning their in-house instructors into influencers of their own. 

Some of the best Peloton instructors have developed cult-like followings over the last two years, establishing themselves in the community, and online more widely.

Former dancer Cody Rigsby is one of the longest-standing instructors with Peloton, working with the brand for nearly a decade and amassing a legion of fans, affectionately named the “Boo Crew”, who are drawn to his no-nonsense encouragement throughout his pop-based workouts. His signature “XOXO, Cody” ride is as much focused on sharing personal stories and chatting about life as it is the workout itself, with his honesty and openness connecting with fans around the world.

Like with Rigsby, Peloton fans have found a home with instructor Ally Love. Originally created as a personal writing outlet in the form of a blog, Love’s “Love Squad” grew into an empowering community centered around faith and fitness. Her signature series, “Sundays with Love”, expertly blends a tough workout with conversations on spirituality (whatever that means for you), self-love and connection.  

That motivating spirit is evident in all of Peloton’s instructors, but Christine D’Ercole’s mantra of “I am. I can. I will. I do.” has made her classes a go-to stop for customers needing a boost of positivity in their day. A former professional track cyclist, D’Ercole openly shares her personal and professional setbacks and how she’s overcome them, a relatable touch that has steadily grown her fanbase.

WHY IT WORKS

As with most influencers, personality is what draws in an audience. But community is ultimately what keeps customers interested long-term and creates a sense of connection between the user and the brand.  Peloton has leaned heavily on this with branded rides and engagement through both group hashtags and private Facebook communities (Denis’s Menaces is currently at nearly 15k members), leveraging the unique identities and attributes of their instructors to build loyal fans and ambassadors. It really is as much about who’s teaching the class as what the playlist and style of workout is.

Instructors Jess King and Robin Arzon are perfect examples of how this works for Peloton. King’s weekly dance party “The Jess King Experience” ride is heavily focused around King’s lively personality, her sparkly workout clothes a visual motif that her nearly 300k Instagram followers embrace wholeheartedly. Arzon, Peloton’s head instructor, is a former lawyer and channels this energy into her positive and motivating rides. Her #RobinsWolfpack community is one of the most popular community groups and she’s even been dubbed “The Queen” by her fans.

As we’ve seen, when dedicated communities of like-minded people back your brand, the sky really is the limit. Peloton have always been experts in this and are industry leaders in how to leverage your internal assets to create devoted brand advocates. Their distinctive, instructor-focused angle has helped them to stand out with new customers and hold on to their loyalty long-term, something that every brand should be aspiring to do.

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