Copycat or Competitor?

“See, they’re McDonald’s… I’m McDowell’s. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick.”

Looks like Cleo McDowell’s new startup is giving Peloton a pedal for the money.

We love a strong challenger brand, but we hate knockoffs. Competition can drive a business forward. It can inspire whole industries to evolve, brands to add new features, and companies to spark better service.

Unfortunately, competition can also push the lazy to blatantly copy. We see it all the time in software, Snapchat Stories begot Instagram Stories and, more recently, Twitter Fleets.

In the home fitness space, Echelon is overtly knocking off so many elements of the Peloton brand. From the logo (look at the angles and color of the logo) to the sound-alike name to the trade dress of the bike and weight holder, there is little innovation to see.

The copycats have even ripped off the pointing instructor we see in every Peloton ad. This isn’t competition, this is stealing brand equity from another company.

Next time, skip the copier and call Curve. We’ll help you fire up your brand’s competitive edge with imagination, creativity, and innovation.