Check Lyft

In an era of rising costs and endless options, getting around the city has become a constant calculation. Younger working adults aren’t loyal to one mode of transportation, they’re pragmatic, switching between apps and services based on what feels right in the moment. Check Lyft reframed choice itself as a strength, positioning the simple action of checking all of your options as the smartest move when value matters most.

To launch Check Lyft, SpecialGuest partnered with Lyft on a multi-city campaign focused on San Francisco and Brooklyn. The work spanned out-of-home, digital, social, audio, and in-app experiences, activating across neighborhoods, transit hubs, and everyday moments where decisions about how to move are made. The campaign was designed to meet riders in real time, wherever and however they were getting around.

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Check Lyft goes straight at the truth: people already compare everything: prices, reviews, routes, timing. So why not rides? Rather than asking for loyalty, the campaign invited riders to check their options, with the confidence that Lyft would often come out ahead.

Rooted in the idea of “Spend Less, Live More,” the work showed up in universally relatable, oddly specific moments across city life, from missed reservations to late-night exits and spontaneous plans. The result was a system of messages, tailored by city and context, that turned checking Lyft into a habit.

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