I’ve been an Uber user for years. When I first discovered the app it completely transformed the way I traveled. I no longer had to worry about whether I could get a cab or whether they accepted credit cards. It wasn’t surprising if I dropped over $500 a week on Uber when traveling for Salesforce and ExactTarget. It was easy. It was useful. And ultimately, the cost of the ride didn’t matter. It was about reaching my destination in the quickest way possible. Now, however, I need to watch the coin purse. So who to use?

Lyft is by far Uber’s largest competitor. They deliver they same type of service and it usually is cheaper. Seriously, there isn’t much difference between Lyft and Uber’s cheaper alternative UberX.

From LifehackerA substantial report from the What’s the Fare blog found that, outside of “Surge Pricing” (Uber) or “Prime Time,” (Lyft) standard Lyft rides were generally cheaper than Uber rides in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.

From the user perspective, Lyft is usually a better choice for cost. Uber is a better choice if you actually want to get a car in Boston. One Uber driver recently said to me, “I would drive for Lyft but I don’t think anyone uses it. Uber is much more prevalent in the city.”

No passengers = no cars = Uber dominance

Have no fear, Lyft’s HQ in San Francisco dispatched their brand team.

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Go to town. I don’t even know where to begin.“Hey Uber users! We know that you can get anywhere with Uber but guess what? Lyft can take you there as well.” No differentiator and no reason for me to switch.

You are completely ruining marketing when the creation of campaigns are without an attempt to understand the need of the user in the given market. In today’s technological and information age, there is no excuse for this type of marketing.

I realize that I am slightly overstepping by assuming that my need is the need of everyone in the market. The takeaway? Try to understand your differentiator and punch your competitor right in the face.

Brand campaigns are killing marketing. This is an example of ivory tower assumptions and a creative agency that failed to understand the market. On another note, this is why artificial intelligence will decimate most marketing departments by 2020.

Rant complete.