Lyft print ads champion charity and community in attempt to differentiate from Uber
Ride hailing app Lyft has taken to print advertising in a bid to differentiate itself from rival Uber – a company which has faced numerous recent scandals that Lyft is keen to distance itself from.
Lyft's print ad
The $69b valued startup Uber has been bashed as a result of chief executive Travis Kalanick’s ties to the Trump administration, it has suffered multiple sexual harassment accusations from former employees and was accused of stealing its self-driving tech, following which, its self-driving car reportedly ran a red light and caused a crash in Arizona. There’s more, all outlined by Business Insider marking a tumultuous month for the company, that Lyft has no doubt been watching from the sidelines.
Now Lyft, is looking to pull the carpet from under the category leader's feet, opening up a cross-Atlantic print advertising campaign to underline its morals and supposed commitment to communities – something it backed up earlier this year with a $1m donation to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The Observer reports an ad was featured in the New York Times on Sunday, similarly, reports emerged that in the UK, the Sunday Times accepted a placement as captured by Twitter user @alisongroves.
Awesome, smart Lyft ad in the Sunday Times. Will more and more of us do business with those that share our own ethos? pic.twitter.com/icdigoMFLH
— Alison Groves (@alisongroves) March 26, 2017
It urged readers to ‘sit for something’ outlining its commitment to the environment and communities while announcing a new scheme, ‘Round Up and Donate’. With it, the company will allow users to opt into rounding up their fares to make a charitable cause.
It concludes: “The power of community is yours. You made it. And whether you tap in, or just keep doing your bit by riding, you’re sitting on a changemaker. All you gotta do is take a seat to take a stand.”