Digital fitness startup Ladder has embraced an interesting marketing tactic: overtly attacking Peloton while poaching the brand’s former instructors
Digital fitness app Ladder has added former Peloton instructor Jennifer Jacobs to its coaching roster, the latest move in Ladder’s marketing war against the connected fitness giant.
At Ladder, Jacobs will lead a unit called “Team Endure,” offering 30-minute strength-training workouts for people who are short on time but want maximum results. The program uses only dumbbells and is catered toward those with beginner and intermediate fitness levels.
Jacobs is also starring in a new ad campaign for Ladder that pokes fun at Peloton instructors and encourages fitness enthusiasts to “ditch the bike” and join Ladder instead. As part of the campaign, Ladder is offering active Peloton members a free three-month subscription to Ladder.
Ladder even staged an activation on Wednesday to kick off the campaign, parking LED trucks displaying digital billboards in front of Peloton’s New York headquarters
Jacobs, who left Peloton in 2019 after building a sizable following as an instructor, recently posted an Instagram video teasing that she was “coming home to the world’s best fitness brand.” The video, which included what appeared to be a Peloton bike in the background, sparked rumors in the Peloton community that Jacob would be returning to the brand.
On Tuesday, however, Jacobs posted a new video announcing that it was Ladder she’d be re-joining, having first worked with the digital fitness app when it launched in 2020.
“I’m Jennifer Jacobs, Ladder’s newest coach,” she said in the video.
Jacobs’ return to Ladder and the new ad campaign marks the latest chapter in the digital fitness platform’s all-out war marketing against Peloton.
Last year, Ladder took aim at Peloton’s new strength training app, Strength+, effectively accusing the fitness giant of copying the look and feel of the Ladder app.
“Over the last few months, we’ve received some curious feedback from users testing Peloton Strength+ in Beta,” Ladder wrote in a blog post. “Namely, that it looks, feels, and functions an awful lot like Ladder.”
The Austin, Texas-based Ladder offers daily strength training workouts with video demonstrations from fitness coaches. The app allows users to create workout routines, track their progress and connect with community members. To date, the company has raised over $30 million in funding and also secured a $90 million growth investment as it looks to break into the digital fitness market.
Peloton, meanwhile, has been pushing further into strength training, part of a push to become known as “more than just a bike company” and grow its app-only digital subscription business, which, so far, the brand has struggled to do.
It’s unclear how, if at all, Peloton plans to retaliate. The New York-based connected fitness giant had around 3.6 million paid subscribers as of late 2024, while Ladder counted around 150,000.
