Lime Bike jousting: should the brand have got involved?

ICYMI, some people decided to host a jousting tournament on Lime bikes this weekend. 

According to the BBC, “Hundreds of people congregated in London Fields, Hackney, to watch artist Jack Carden and actor Camtholomew the First joust, while riding the bright green rentable e-bikes.”

Watching clips online, it does look like a whole lot of fun. 

The Lime press office, understandably approached for comment, issued this statement:

“We always love seeing Londoners come together and build a sense of community in unexpected ways. While we appreciate the medieval spirit, safety must always come first. Lime bikes are designed for getting around the city, not for jousting. We discourage anyone from attempting similar events, to help keep riders and those around them safe.”

Fair enough I thought, well handled, but not so fair enough and not so well handled according to some of the voices popping up in my LinkedIn feed.

“Huge miss by Lime” said one. “Stop getting so upset about going viral… instead, play into it” advised another.

You get the idea.

Look, I love a bit of reactive coverage as much as the next PR person but these statements are either a) just bait, which I’ve fallen for or b) evidence of a somewhat blinkered view when it comes to how comms pros need to think about their clients.

First off, what made this event so great is the fact a brand wasn’t involved. It’s a load of people in London Fields jousting on Lime bikes. It’s the punk rock DIY spirit alive and well on a wet weekend in London Fields. 

Second, are the people proposing Lime host its own jousting tournament serious? Imagine the waivers, the safety gear, the whole thing would be extremely Not Great. And of course, you’d have to get through legal first. 

But my main gripe is this: Lime bikes exist on a regulatory tightrope. Their entire business rests on the whim of policymakers who could - if they wished - ban the bikes from cities putting a major dent in Lime’s revenues overnight. 

We all know that as much as Lime has fans (Timothée Chalamet, Kim Kardashian, half of The Romans office etc.) it has its detractors. The bikes are big, heavy and - when ridden without due care and attention - can cause injury.

This is why the brand puts so much focus on safety. Their ‘Respect the Red’ campaign encouraged riders to stop at red lights. This summer they had the rather genius idea of turning promo codes into ‘Promise Codes’ that focused on - you guessed it - road safety.

Those advocating for Lime to host a follow up on this event aren’t - in my view - considering the wider picture. Yes it might keep the brand in the news, but puts the business itself at risk. Short-term win, but at what cost?

Better to let culture do its thing organically while comms focuses on protecting and promoting the business in the long-term. Consumer and Corporate do not live in silos and I think we’d be doing a disservice to our clients not to look holistically at their wider business objectives.