whitemax

I have noticed that there is an indoor bike advertised pretty heavily during the TDF on NBC sports network. I'm not sure why anyone would pay $2,000 for the bike and then have to pay a steep monthly subscription fee to use it. Looking at the face of someone leading the workout session doesn't seem to appealing either. At any rate, I think that Zwift is great and I can't help but think that advertising more on channels that cyclists tend to watch would boost their subscription base. Believe it or not, I have been to several LBS' recently where the owner had never even heard of Zwift. Perhaps they don't have much in terms of a budget for advertising at this point but I do believe it would help them grow perhaps to where they could add more routes and keep the monthly fee down.

hubcyclist

I do find the advertising relationship to be an odd one. While on the surface it appears to make sense, a big cycling/exercise brand on the biggest bike race, I'd think that brand's target audience isn't really watching the TDF or has any real interest in bike racing. I think the folks who gravitate toward that product really just want as close to a plug and play experience as possible, including the classes. People I know and to whom I recommended the bike/trainer/software combo have never gone that route, it takes way more mental energy than people are willing to invest. With zwift, I think the drawback to advertising is that they also need to educate the consumer on what they need to actually run the platform. I think they do well enough with the internet publicity and word of mouth that they don't really need to spend money on TV spots, probably not much return on that

Bah Humbug

Yeah, TV advertising is colossally expensive for national stuff, and personally there's not one cyclist or tri geek I know who isn't acutely aware of what Zwift is. Wifey and I are some of the few remaining holdouts not using it.

caloso

My sister has a Peleton bike which I rode a few times while visiting over the holidays. It's really well built for a spin bike and there are classes led by Christian Vandevelde which are a lot more tailored to actual cyclists (as opposed to folks who like the Soul Cycle vibe). It even uploads to Strava and from there you can export it to Training Peaks, Golden Cheetah, whatever.

She's right in their demographic: she and her partner are DINKs, they're superbusy with work and unreliable schedules, and they live in a urban area where it's really not that easy to take a quick spin out the door. So it works. I wanted to hate it, but it's a great thing for some folks.

whitemax

I get what you are saying about "that other brand's" targeted audience but I also believe there are a lot of cyclist that don't know much about Zwift that are watching the TDF on NBC Sports. Many cyclists I have spoken to know a little about it but stress about how to get it up and running. I know I did for a long time before I took the plunge given I'm not very tech savvy and don't like fooling with gadgets. Most folks that aren't into cycling have no interest in the TDF or watching it, certainly not paying extra to see it if it's not included in their TV package. So who they are selling these bikes to is a mystery to me.

whitemax

I don't have any doubt that it's a good machine but folks in that demographic, they typically aren't cyclist so why would they even be watching the TDF anyway? I doubt that any cycling enthusiast would choose that brand over Zwift. As far as being time crunched, Zwift is just as convenient, perhaps more so than the other brand.

caloso

Hard to imagine, but there are people who watch the Tour who may or may not consider themselves avid cyclists.

Dan333SP

It's honestly a fair question that you're asking. I think the reason why Zwift doesn't advertise on TV and Peloton does is just down to the goals and nature of each company. Zwift was a grassroots thing that took off through word of mouth and has basically remained as such. Hell, the origin story can be traced on this forum as the original idea and development was posted about by the company founder. They don't feel the need to advertise on a national scale because they continue to grow strongly through word of mouth and promotional events. They aren't selling a physical product, just a subscription to a service you access by using a number of different devices you may already own.

Peloton was a silicon valley sort of enterprise from the start where they took the spin class craze and turned it into a very expensive specific product, raising a ton of venture capital along the way-

Kleiner Perkins-backed Cycling Company Peloton Is Now a Unicorn | Fortune

They have bigger coffers and can afford to advertise on a much larger scale, including TV ads. I think it's as simple as that.

Sy Reene

Does Zwift even place ads in eg. bicycling magazine, or online (eg. on GCN or on this very BF site)?

Dan333SP

Near as I can tell, Zwift does not advertise at all. They get a ton of reviews/videos from magazines, youtube channels, etc. and they may pay for some of that exposure, but for the most part it really seems to be word of mouth. They even charge bike shops to display custom kits/bikes in the game, and I'd think they are charging companies like Specialized to allow people to "use" their bikes in game. People slag on Zwift for not being real riding and for the cheating and such, but it's really an amazing business success story.

Sy Reene

Kinda what I thought.. before anyone sees Zwift producing a TV commercial for media placements, you'd first look to see if they've done much more easily implemented web or magazine ads.

whitemax

That is my point. I've never heard of a business that did not want to continue to grow. I'm guessing they have to hire some pretty talented programmers to make it work as well as it currently does. With more subscribers, they could afford to hire more and then the whole experience could continue to get better and better. Resting on ones laurels is a perfect recipe for someone else to take your idea, improve on it and take over. Amazon sure didn't get where it is today by word of mouth.

As far as people slagging on Zwift for not being real riding, of course it isn't but neither is using a dumb trainer. Trainers definitely have their application for cyclists and Zwift just makes the experience of using a trainer way more tolerable, some would say enjoyable. I challenge anyone to do their new Alpe du Zwift route and say they didn't get a workout.

The next level

I maybe going in the wrong direction with this but!
is pelaton that expensive vs a $1100 smart trainer, cassette and a dedicated screen for zwift? I'm looking into this due to the fact I busted up my wrist on Thursday. Want to keep my fitness. Plus living in Wisconsin I have winter's to deal with. Opinions wanted.
Thanks

whitemax

The next level

I would need another screen, our family shares a laptop. They wouldnt appreciate my thievery....

whitemax

The next level

I am just weighing the options.