Say what you like about Lyft (”awesome ride-sharing service” or “dangerously unregulated upstart taxi wannabe” seems to describe the polar opposites of opinion), but this is a pretty sweet ad campaign.
From the delightfully double-edged campaign name, “Friends with Transit” – which can either echo “friends with benefits”, or simply be a statement that Lyft complements public transportation – to the trademark hot pink lines filling in the gaps left behind by rail transit in each city, this is an on-point campaign. It deliberately ignores other “last-mile” transit options – walking, biking, taking the bus, car share or taxi – and memorably and visually supplants them with Lyft’s own service.
The campaign website (no longer active) supports the visuals with glowing reference quotes from transportation agencies as well as statistics that support the idea that transit and Lyft are meant for each other. For example, apparently South Station in Boston is Lyft’s second-most popular destination.
Clever, well-targeted and memorable – just about everything you want from a campaign.
Source: Lyft’s “Friends with Transit” website – link no longer active