# Lyft’s new ad completely misses the mark and sends the wrong message



## BurgerTiime (Jun 22, 2015)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/willburns/2018/12/19/new-lyft-ad-is-both-a-yep-and-a-nope-but-mostly-nope/amp/




Nope/Yup but mostly NOPE!

Our hero then continues to drive backwards down a busy highway, dangerously bobbing and weaving around oncoming traffic. As he drives incredibly recklessly, endangering everyone on the road, he sees several fairly serious car accidents along the way. Serious cognitive dissonance for me here, not to mention it implies that Lyft drivers don't get into accidents. Nope #2.

He passes a car salesman, who for some reason is making his pitch out on the road to cars passing by-already weird-but weirder that the pitch is to people, like our hero, who clearly already have cars. Nope #3.

The cop with the radar gun does nothing, despite witnessing a car driving backwards the wrong way down a street. Nope #4.

But the whopper is that the spot implies that Lyft will fix the traffic itself. Note our hero opens the app, the driver appears and suddenly he's coming out of his business meeting, having "closed the deal." I suspect Lyft is a powerful app, but do Lyft cars hover over the traffic or something? Maybe that empty lane our hero first backs onto was an HOV lane, which our Lyft driver would now be able to take, but, if so, it's just not established clearly enough, and, if so, requires way too much thinking that only ad-geeks like me will do. Nope #5 and #6 (this one gets two).


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## Roadmasta (Aug 4, 2017)

Wtf


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## 2Cents (Jul 18, 2016)

This is the Burger King of advertising.


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## mrpjfresh (Aug 16, 2016)

Wow... Your service fee dollars hard at work, ladies and gents! Maybe they'll even pay to run it during the Superbowl.

The whole silly yup/nope thing reminded me of that famous Ms. Cleo soundboard prank years ago though:


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## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

Ugh...she hands him an AUX cord. 

That’s a NOPE


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

i like the commercial .


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## pvtandrewmalone (Oct 2, 2016)

Pax:. Do you have an aux cord.
Me: Nope. (Plays AM talk radio).


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

At least it was an attempt to get riders instead of driver recruitment. 

Having said that I call bullshit on three drivers speaking perfect English. I took three Lyfts Wednesday and it was far from this Fantasyland.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Roadmasta said:


> Wtf


EXACTLY !!!



pvtandrewmalone said:


> Pax:. Do you have an aux cord.
> Me: Nope. (Plays AM talk radio).


1960' s Prices !

1960's RADIO !


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## Z129 (May 30, 2018)

That guy plays Penny's ex-boyfriend "Zack" on Big Bang Theory.


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## Gtown Driver (Aug 26, 2018)

Well it's the Cali brah app so of course the first driver he gets is going to pass the aux cord like it's no big deal.

I will definitely be amazed if I ever get a Lyft and the first thing the driver goes is "music?" with an aux cord out. Like, that's probably not gonna happen in DC. My car is too futuristic so it doesn't have an AUX port so I have an easy out of the AUX thing.


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

Aux cord? My iPhone7 is three years old and it doesn't have a plug in, it's BlueTooth or nothing. My 2015 radio still has a slot for those little losable data whatchamacallits that nobody ever used....including me.

Yes, Penny's boyfriend Zach, the guy that was handed a pair of sunglasses for an experiment involving a laser and the moon and said: "Is this going to be in 3D?"

I get the whole, backup and start the day over without having to deal with traffic, car salesmen, accidents, (notice she's still texting in front of an inflated air bag?) etc....

It's a little pollyanna to suggest all your problems can be solved with Lyft, but for non-drivers, this is likely an effective ad. If it results in more pings I'm on board.


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

I get asked multiple times per night if they can jack in and always ask if they have an iPhone. It's always an iPhone, and I don't use an iPhone so I politely say oh, sorry I don't have that cord on me.

It creates the illusion that I care and would have done it if they had the right phone or if I had the right cable, but never puts me in the position where I have to actually listen to their garbage music. My car is indie rock 99% of the time, and a mix of The Shins and Radiohead the other 1% of the time. LOL


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

tohunt4me said:


> EXACTLY !!!
> 
> 1960' s Prices !
> 
> 1960's RADIO !


gangster rap lot of cussing . people never say anything. a band i highly suggest is called two live crew . 18 plus only.


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## SRGuy (May 17, 2016)

Gtown Driver said:


> Well it's the Cali brah app so of course the first driver he gets is going to pass the aux cord like it's no big deal.
> 
> I will definitely be amazed if I ever get a Lyft and the first thing the driver goes is "music?" with an aux cord out. Like, that's probably not gonna happen in DC. My car is too futuristic so it doesn't have an AUX port so I have an easy out of the AUX thing.


The simple answer is the last pax tried to walk off with it and then jammed it into the socket and broke the d##n thing.


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## pvtandrewmalone (Oct 2, 2016)

Gtown Driver said:


> My car is too so it doesn't have an AUX port so I have an easy out of the AUX thing.


Futuristic? How about historic?

Try a $800 Craigslist 2005 Dodge Neon, with 135,000 miles, featuring hand crank windows and the factory AM/FM radio (only the AM part works). You get the same crap pay as any other UberX or Lyft car.

What they deserve for these bargain basement prices. A ride and nothing else. Want fancy?....that's what Lux is for...and yes, it costs more.


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

It just amazes me on how bad ALL of Lyfts T.V. ads and billboards are. 
There is a billboard on Melrose -- Don't put your keys in a wooden box !!! In the right lower corner is Lyft.
Are they referring to a valet key storage box ?? Are they wooden ?? Is the public suppose to know these things ?
What a total waste of money. I agree -- WTF ?????


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## jazzapt (May 16, 2016)

I like this commercial. In all three instances, pax got in the passenger-side back seat. Exactly where I like em.


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

I prefer people up front if they are alone. More social, better tips.


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## Peterjay303 (Aug 28, 2018)

AlteredBeast said:


> I prefer people up front if they are alone. More social, better tips.


Really? I prefer they ride in the trunk. We get paid about as much as people pay to send mail.

If you wanna ride in the main cabin better order a Lux.

Oh and letting them play music; Nope.

Horrible ad by Uber's ginger step child that lives in the crawl space. Get back in there lyft it isn't Christmas any more.


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

It’s hard to believe anybody who looks like they’re related to Chevy Chase. Better than Uber’s ads although that’s not saying much.


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