Ryan Reynolds jumps on the Peloton team with And Just Like That ad

The Future. Peloton and Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort responded to a shocker twist in the new HBO show And Just Like That by reviving a deceased character in their new ad and clapping back at the show’s implications. While some audiences (and maybe some readers) may be confused, the quick turnaround demonstrates that the best way to break through the noise of peak advertising may be to insert yourself directly into viral conversations while they’re still happening.

And that was fast
There’s no better ad than one that comes out right in the middle of the zeitgeist. [WARNING: spoilers for the new HBO show And Just Like That.]

• After Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth) died from a heart attack while riding a Peloton in And Just Like That, Peloton had a commercial featuring the actor ready to go just a couple of days later.
• The commercial featured Noth and Peloton instructor Jess King flirting on a couch; Noth says he feels fine and asks if Jess would like to take another ride on their Pelotons.
• Reynolds’ voice over the commercial details all the ways stationary bikes help the heart ending with a monologue saying, “he’s alive.”

Pivot!
Surprisingly, the Maximum Effort/Peloton partnership wasn’t born out of wanting to respond to And Just Like That. Shocker. Both companies were already working together via Maximum Effort’s Creative-as-a-Subscription offering (which it recently launched in partnership with MNTN). When the episode dropped, Reynolds and Peloton CMO Dara Treseder knew exactly what to do.

Not surprisingly, the ad went viral, amassing over 3 million views and sending Peloton’s stock soaring 7.4% (after falling 12% when the And Just Like That episode dropped). Ironically, Reynolds is famously behind the Aviation Gin ad, “Peloton Wife,” that skewered Peloton’s holiday commercial back in 2018. At least we know the company can take a joke.