Lyft is expanding its ad business with three new ad formats to grow its advertising revenue, according to Axios. The ride-hailing company has launched Sponsored Map Vehicles, Sponsored Rides by Mode, and a new Vertical Video format. These formats are available to advertisers looking to connect with users before, during, and after their rides.

Sponsored Map Vehicles turns the Lyft map into branded real estate

Sponsored Map Vehicles allow brands to take over the Lyft map view for an entire day. This format lets advertisers replace standard vehicle icons with branded ones that follow real-time car movements on the map.

It is designed as a full-day buy, meaning one advertiser controls all vehicle icons for a day. There is also an option to wrap physical cars with real-world branding to match the in-app experience. This format is now available to all brands.

Sponsored Rides by Mode offers ride discounts tied to brand campaigns

This format lets advertisers subsidize the cost of a ride, either standard or priority, in exchange for branding across the Lyft app. The brand appears on the homepage and throughout the ride experience.

For example, if a clothing retailer sponsors standard rides for a day, riders might see the brand’s name and message on the homepage, on the ride request screen, or during the ride.

Vertical Video format targets wait-time attention

The Vertical Video format is a new full-screen placement that appears when a user selects the "Wait & Save" ride option. These non-skippable ads play while the rider waits for a car to arrive.

A push toward $100 million in ad revenue

Lyft aims to grow its ad tech business, and these new formats are part of its plan to scale its media offering and attract more advertisers. According to Axios, CEO David Risher said earlier this month that the company is on pace to hit a $100 million annualized ad revenue run rate by the end of the year.

That target highlights Lyft’s growing focus on advertising as a revenue stream beyond ride-sharing. Lyft Media already delivers ads across multiple rider touchpoints, including in-app placements and screens inside vehicles. The company recently partnered with IAS to measure ad performance using viewability and brand safety metrics.

Lyft plans to launch more ad products later this summer and is reportedly hiring to support its ad tech ambitions.

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