ladder’s “ditch the bike” campaign is bold, ballsy, and a marketing win
as a marketing firm, we love a good guerilla campaign and ladder’s new “ditch the bike” campaign targeting peloton? we’re tipping our hats.
here’s the rundown: earlier this week, former peloton instructor jennifer jacobs posted a teaser that had people talking. it showed her next to what looked like a peloton bike, with nostalgic tones that strongly implied she was returning to the platform. cue the internet frenzy.
but plot twist! just hours later, peloton issued a statement saying she wasn’t coming back.
then the real move dropped: ladder’s full version of the teaser, where jacobs announced she’s now a coach for ladder. the messaging was loud and clear—ditch the bike.
ladder rolled out an entire campaign site where current peloton members can get three months free of ladder. but that’s not even the best part. they followed it up with bold, hilarious content.
in the first video, jacobs tries to film an announcement while a parody peloton instructor keeps interrupting her. in the second video, she’s literally outside peloton’s nyc studios, surrounded by ladder trucks, pushing the “ditch the bike” campaign right on peloton’s front steps.
look, we get it, some people weren’t thrilled. even current peloton instructor alex toussaint addressed it in class. he defended his team and called out the shade, passionately saying, “watch your mouth talking about my team.”
but here’s the thing, this was smart marketing.
jennifer jacobs later addressed the buzz saying,
“it’s not shade, it’s strategy. just smart brand play to spark real conversation.”
and she’s right. this wasn’t just about poking peloton. it was about generating talkability. and it worked.
a day later, peloton instructor alex toussaint responded during his class. he acknowledged that everyone had seen the videos and referenced how some of them were filmed in front of peloton studios. he compared jacobs’ move to a “long lost cousin who acts up,” but made it clear—“i still love her.”
alex emphasized he supports anyone inspiring people to move, no matter the platform—but followed it with a passionate defense of his team:
“but watch your mouth speaking about my team. i love you – but watch your mouth speaking about my team.”
he even laid out his three personal rules:
don’t play with my money i feed my mom with.
don’t play with my teammates: past, present, or future.
respect yourself.
after that, he lightened the mood and got back to class. but the message was clear—this hit a nerve in the peloton community.
and while some may say the campaign cost ladder some goodwill, we’d argue that’s the nature of bold marketing. if you’re not getting people to react, you’re probably not breaking through the noise.
ladder has taken playful shots at peloton before. when peloton launched their strength+ app in 2024, ladder dropped their “flattered” campaign with side-by-side comparisons and a tagline that read, “we’re flattered, peloton.”
this new campaign builds on that same energy, ballsy, clever, and built to stand out in a saturated market.
our take? whether you love it or not, ladder just pulled off one of the boldest fitness marketing moves of the year.
and we’re here for it.
