Lyft Chief Marketing Officer Felipe Avila has left the ride-hailing brand after less than seven months in the role and will be replaced by former Meta marketer Brian Irving.

Irving left Meta about a year ago after serving as VP of marketing at Meta Reality Labs, which is the Facebook and Instagram owner’s virtual reality division. He also held roles at  Levi Strauss & Co., Eventbrite, Google, Apple and Airbnb, where he is credited with working on the brand’s “Don't go there. Live there” campaign that debuted in 2016.

Avila, a former marketer at The Container Store, Chili’s owner Brinker International and Mattel, was announced as Lyft CMO on Sept. 10. He left Lyft for personal reasons, according to a Lyft spokesperson.

In a blog post to be published today that Lyft shared in advance with Ad Age, the company referred to Irving as a “customer-obsessed” chief marketing officer, adding that he “has over two decades of experience building and marketing iconic, global technology brands.”

His duties will include overseeing Lyft’s marketing, creative and editorial teams. The brand handles a lot of its marketing in-house but has also relied on agencies including D1A and Jam.

“The brand foundations are strong—and yet there is so much more we can do to put the brand into action,” Irving said in the blog post. “Lyft is known for its warmth, likability, and endearing personality. These are qualities that any other brand would be jealous of, and I am confident in the team's ability to accelerate the brand connection to even more riders and drivers as we go forward.”

Cost cuts

Avila joined Lyft five months into the tenure of CEO David Risher, who has implemented cost cuts, including significant layoffs. “We need to be a faster, flatter company where everyone is closer to our riders and drivers so we can deliver on this purpose,” Risher stated in a letter to employees last April.

Lyft on Feb. 13 reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.2 billion, up 4% from the prior-year period, citing strong  demand that led to a record of more than 40 million annual active riders in 2023. But the company also dealt with an embarrassing mistake in its announcement—due to a typo, it estimated its gross margin would expand by 500 basis points in 2024, while the actual estimate was 50 basis points. The original report sent Lyft’s stock soaring. 

Risher took responsibility during an appearance on CNBC, saying, “We had thousands of eyes” on the process, adding, “It’s a terrible thing. It is an extra zero that slipped into a press release.”

Lyft has recently been promoting its Women+ Connect program, which has functionality aimed at connecting women and non-binary riders and drivers. It debuted in September and rolled out nationally in February.

The brand has also sought to diversify its revenue by building its young ad business, known as Lyft Media. Last year the division began selling ads that appear in its mobile app.