Peloton’s response ad to the shocking events of the And Just Like That… premiere was filmed in less than 48 hours. The Sex & the City reboot premiered on HBO Max last week and quickly became the streamer’s most-watched debut for a series ever. The series features the return of many fan-favorite characters, including Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Mr. Big (Chris Noth).
Mr. Big’s return, however, was rather short-lived as he has a heart attack and dies after an intense workout on his Peloton exercise bike. The episode came as a shock to fans but perhaps even a bigger shock to executives at Peloton, who had agreed to feature their product in the show without knowing any specifics about how it would be used. Immediately following the episode, Peloton stock sank nearly 11%. The brand has since released an ad featuring Noth and Peloton instructor Jessica King (who also appears in And Just Like That…), which has gone viral on social media and features a surprise voiceover from Ryan Reynolds about the health benefits of using a Peloton bike.
Per the LA Times, the Peloton ad was not part of a grand marketing scheme with And Just Like That…, as many have suggested, and was indeed quickly put together in the wake of the brand’s tragic cameo. The folks at Peleton have confirmed that the viral ad was conceptualized and filmed in less than 24 hours and reaffirmed that they did not know the context surrounding the brand’s appearance in the show. Check out the comment from Peleton below:
“We had no prior knowledge of the storyline involving Peloton and this was not a product placement but rather a casting opportunity for one of our instructors.”
![Sex & the City Peloton Response Ad Was Filmed In Less Than 48 Hours](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/and-just-like-that-carrie-big-death.jpg)
The ad has amassed nearly 50,000 likes on the Peleton Twitter page and is now sitting at over 3.8 million views. Considering how far in advance ads are typically planned and conceptualized before ever going to camera, completing one in only 48 hours is a remarkable feat. Regarding how quickly the company was able to complete the ad, the Peleton Twitter account even playfully Tweeted: “If we can put that spot together in 48 hours, you can do your workout today.“
While Peleton’s cameo in And Just Like That… evidently hurt the brand, the company is now being talked about more than ever. Quick thinking on the part of the Peleton marketing team during a time of crisis has done wonders to put a more positive spin on Mr. Big’s Peleton-induced death. It remains to be seen whether this new PR maneuver will pay off, however, as Peleton’s stock has steadily declined over the last year as the pandemic-era home-exercise-trend winds down. New episodes of And Just Like That… air every Thursday on HBO Max.