Peloton Launches New Campaign to Engage Millennial Males
The connected fitness company has enlisted T.J. and J.J. Watts in a creative campaign aimed at attracting male fitness consumers
Peloton, having just appointed CEO and Apple Fitness+ co-founder Peter Stern, has launched a new creative campaign in North America, targeting millennial males with the help of U.S. football player and brothers T.J. and J.J. Watt.
The new campaign, ‘Find your push. Find your power.,’ is in its first phase, according to the connected fitness giant.
“Our brand research has shown that more than 70 percent of millennial males engage with running, but many in that same audience set are either not aware of our Tread and running offerings or are unsure if we’ll deliver a challenging enough fitness experience for them,” Peloton’s chief marketing officer Lauren Weinberg said. “Enter T.J. and J.J. Watt, Peloton members who already compete against each other on the Peloton Leaderboard. Partnering with them is an organic way to counter these misperceptions by showcasing that we have challenging workout options that are hard enough, even for elite athletes.”
Peloton tapped creative agency Special London for the campaign’s first phase, which features the Watt brothers competing against each other on various Peloton equipment in three spots airing in North America and across several media channels.
“The sibling rivalry that lies at the heart of this first campaign is not only something most of us can instantly relate to but there was no better duo than NFL legends T.J. and J.J. Watt to bring that idea to life,” Special London chief creative officer David Day said. “Their natural competitive spirit and sense of humor helped us to encapsulate Peloton’s motivational power – the power to engage and encourage people to work out and to get them to come back for more.”
The Power of The Tread
During Peloton’s Q1 2025 earnings call last week, interim co-CEO Chris Bruzzo noted that while two-thirds of Peloton members are women, the connected fitness company sees an opportunity to attract men into the fold with targeted messaging. He also underscored the potential of the Tread.
“We see an opportunity to grow our Tread business, given our estimates that show the at-home treadmill market is more than twice the size of the at-home stationary bike market,” Bruzzo told investors. “Our goal is to build demand among core audiences and capture that demand during less frequent promotional moments.”
He added that Peloton is encouraged by the early findings of its marketing strategies, noting a 9 percent year-over-year mix shift in hardware sales toward men with the highest shift in Peloton’s Tread portfolio.
Treadmill Competition Heats Up
While Peloton focuses on its Tread products, other fitness companies — such as Centr — are pushing into the premium treadmill space. The Chris Hemsworth-founded fitness brand has unveiled a collection of nine treadmills that cater to various fitness levels, space requirements, and budgets. The treadmill has also become gamified. Earlier this year, Wahoo Fitness launched the Kickr Run Smart Treadmill, featuring Zwift Run for a gamified experience, while Aviron has unveiled a treadmill offering game modes, live races, and instructor-led classes.
“We’re redefining what fitness looks like by incorporating gaming psychology with immersive game design across all major cardio modalities to make it fun and accessible for all,” Aviron founder and CEO Andy Hoag said.
