University of Michigan students and other Michigan football fans opened Instagram on August 22 to find a post advertising a new, U-M-branded Peloton bike. The post, which was shared by both the Peloton and U-M Football accounts, announced the beginning of a collaboration between the exercise bike company and the U-M athletic department.
According to a Peloton press release in August, the partnership will include the availability of U-M branded Peloton bikes at The Big House and in Michigan Athletics training facilities, discounted student pricing for classes on the Peloton app, opportunities for student athletes to participate in Name, Image and Likeness deals, and a sponsorship deal for Maize Rage — the student cheering section at the Michigan men’s and women’s basketball games.
Maize Rage president Jake Skulnik said he is excited to see how the sponsorship will impact the student section.
“I’m really honored that in the deal, Maize Rage was actually outlined,” Skulnik said. “I think it’s really beneficial for us, the student section, that the University is recognizing us (and) seeing the impact we’re making.”
The University’s collaboration with the fitness and cycling company marks the start of Peloton’s new “College Strategy,” in which the company is aiming to increase its brand awareness among college students through branded products, promotions and social media engagement.
Casey Moore, director of marketing at Peloton for Business, wrote in an email to The Michigan Daily that the company hopes the partnership encourages U-M fans, students and alumni to use Peloton products.
“With this partnership, we want to support the fitness ambitions of Michigan students, alumni and fans, and have Peloton be part of their journey,” Moore wrote.
In an interview, Kurt Svoboda, the University’s associate athletic director for external communications and public relations, told The Daily that brand collaborations such as the Peloton partnership provide unique opportunities for student athletes to have easy access to fitness equipment that is specifically tailored to them.
“Having a partnership with a specific company such as Peloton is beneficial to our student athletes because they’re already using similar products,” Svoboda said. “Now, they get to use (products) that have a lot of visibility and name recognition and collaborative infrastructure, such as the entire Peloton network.”
Daily Staff Reporter Rebecca Lewis can be reached at rebeccl@umich.edu.