Big Spaceship, ClickZ weigh in on NYC ridesharing

While we wait to see whether or not any pink mustaches ever actually start rolling about in Brooklyn, a new piece analyzes the playing field for ridesharing competitors vying to take New York.

Marketing insight and analysis site ClickZ offers up its take on the battle between Uber and Lyft. Remember how we said ridesharing startups are really competing against car ownership, not each other? Not so much, in this case. ClickZ spells out some pretty direct attacks that Uber has made against Lyft, while remaining the dominant force.

Dumbo creative agency Big Spaceship weighs in on the contest with an intriguing point in the ClickZ piece about user delight:

Big Spaceship’s vice president of social media, Victor Piniero, feels the main reason Uber is currently number one in New York, despite its criticism for its surge pricing, is due to its “surprise and delight” tactics.

“The most impressive thing about Uber’s marketing is how they’ve managed to take ‘surprise and delight’ to an entirely new level. While social media managers everywhere are sending fans products, Uber has sent fans kittens, allowed them to hail ice cream trucks, delivered roses for them, and even picked up passengers in Deloreans.”

Piniero adds, “No one knows what to expect from them, only that it will probably plaster a smile on their faces. Their campaigns aren’t just slightly magical, they’re really smart.”

While Lyft may not be competing in kitten delivery yet, it did show hundreds of people a very good time recently.

Notably, it is number one over Hailo. Comparing Lyft to Uber is a little unfair because, as we have written extensively, it’s not live yet.

Speaking of Hailo, ClickZ speaks to Ian Schafer, CEO of Deep Focus, a socially-oriented digital agency in New York, who explains why simply applying the same technology to the taxi industry won’t be as reliable as ridesharing startups. He says that taxis are always going to pick up a fare on the street before driving further to a fare that’s been hailed via an app.