Lyft Warns Americans About : Abandoned Money

Every day across America, millions of dollars are abandoned—not lost or stolen, but simply left behind by rideshare users. With a study from the NBER finding that only 16.1 percent of consumers check both apps for cheaper fare, Lyft is giving the issue the gravity it fully deserves: a fully produced public service announcement with an urgent request to rideshare users everywhere to dedicate a few seconds to saving money.

Developed with Zulu Alpha Kilo (Z.A.K.), the new campaign film follows an abandoned dollar bill as it wanders through harsh urban environments—battling rain, wind, and the constant threat of being trampled—as a voiceover pleads for riders to save the money by donating a few seconds to checking Lyft the next time they book.

“Treating abandoned rideshare savings with the gravity and importance of a public service announcement had an immediate tension to it,” says Chris Colliton, ECD at Z.A.K.. “The more seriously we took it, the funnier and more relatable it became. For something so “sad,” we couldn’t stop smiling.” 

At a time when craft is more valuable than ever in a crowded creative landscape, Lyft and Z.A.K. took a thoughtful, hands-on approach. Directed by Jeff Low with practical production effects performed by master puppeteer Oliver John Taylor (Netflix’s Eric, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) and rig maker Andy Gent (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline), the film focuses tightly on the bill’s cinematic world. Working closely together over the course of several weeks to choreograph each movement by hand, Low, Taylor, and Gent turned an inanimate object into a character that feels unexpectedly sympathetic and human. 

“This is Lyft deciding what kind of brand it wants to be,” says Cass Zawadowski, Executive Creative Director, Global Brand at Lyft. “’Save the Money’ works because it’s  human and genuinely crafted, and those aren’t soft words. They’re the reason people will remember it, share it, and actually change their behavior. That’s what a brand moment looks like.”

“Save the Money” is part of a multi-pronged campaign launching today across major U.S. markets, with a fully integrated rollout spanning :60, :30, and :15 second film spots alongside large scale OOH and creator-led content.