Lyft Invites ‘Wildcard’ to AOR Search

By Erik Oster 

Lyft is in the midst of a creative review in search of an agency of record and has asked big agencies to pitch for the business, but in a video uploaded to YouTube yesterday (featured above) and accompanying Twitter post, Lyft calls on small “wildcard” agencies to take the last seat at the table.

In the video, Lyft states that they have invited large agencies to the review, “But we root for the little guys too” and outlines the rules for submission. Interested parties can submit a 60-second or shorter video, which must take place inside a Lyft vehicle and creatively embody the Lyft brand, to @Lyft with the hashtag #LyftWildcard by June 9th. The winner will then get to compete in the next round of the review.

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For one example, here is the pitch from Made Movement of Colorado.

Not everyone is enthused by Lyft’s invitation, however. In AdAge, marketing consultant Rupal Parekh called it “a PR stunt veiled as an effort to make an agency search more hip and fun.” NSW/Swat CEO Richard Kirshenbaum, meanwhile, told Adweek that it was a “gimmick,” adding, “It’s a clever idea for somebody right out of school. But is it really interesting to people of experience and quality who know what they’re doing? The answer is ‘absolutely not.'”

Another hot take from Kyle Snarr of Tribal Worldwide:

Lots of strong opinions on this one, though the consensus seems to be negative.

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