And just like that, Mr. Big is alive! By now you must have heard about the beloved character's shocking death in HBO Max's new Sex and the City [1] spinoff And Just Like That... [2] In case you missed it somehow, Mr. Big (Chris Noth) was killed off in the series premiere. During his 1,000th Peloton ride, Big has a fatal heart attack [3] while Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker [4]) attends Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) daughter's piano recital. Unsurprisingly, the morbid episode sent Peloton's stock prices plunging [5], but you can't keep a good bike down!
On Dec. 12, Peloton released a 30-second commercial poking fun at the whole ordeal. In the clip, Jess King (a real-life Peloton instructor) gets cozy in front of a fireplace with the 67-year-old actor. "I feel great," he says. "Should we take another ride? Life's too short not to." As if that line wasn't genius enough, Ryan Reynolds [6], who narrates the ad, is heard saying, "And just like that . . . the world is reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs, and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases." He continues, "Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, resting pulse, and reduces blood-fat levels" before quipping, "He's alive." Watch the ad above!
Wondering how Peloton pulled off the viral ad so quickly? Reynolds is offering some much-needed insight. Turns out, the actor's Maximum Effort marketing company was already in talks with Peloton [7] a week before that shocking episode aired. "I literally met Dara [Treseder, CMO of Peloton] for the first time on Dec. 1. She emailed us right after the episode aired and we all knew just what to do," Reynolds told The Hollywood Reporter. "We try to do these things in a way where everyone wins — Peloton, Chris and the show itself." He said the ad's response has been great, adding that it was "really satisfying to work so hard so quickly towards something which is this much fun and have it work out . . . we want to have fun and bring people together but not ever at anyone's expense."
From the looks of it, Peloton isn't quite done trolling And Just Like That.... On Dec. 13, they tweeted, "If we can put that spot together in 48 hours [8], you can do your workout today." Well, I think we can all agree that Peloton's marketing team deserves a serious raise this year!