Brief and Strategy
Mastercard has been the official sponsor of the Australian Open for the last 3 years, creating on-ground, in-stadium Priceless experiences. In 2021, off the back of a year of lockdowns, let-downs and shutdowns, the thought of pouring millions of dollars into activating an on-ground sporting sponsorship was terrifying. To add to the anxiety, the probability of there being another outbreak compromising the safety and security of cardholders, business partners and fans was seen to be high.
Of course, it would have been much easier to pass on activating the sponsorship and focus energies elsewhere; however, what would have that said about us as a brand and our belief in guaranteeing safety and security? The risk of NOT activating our sponsorship was greater than the risk of going through with it.
We knew Australia had a zero-tolerance response to Covid-19, meaning at any moment, strict community controls could have been actioned by national and state governments. Therefore, we needed to be ready for anything and consider any and every possible scenario to ensure we could continue to pull off a successful sponsorship. In partnership with Tennis Australia and broadcaster Channel 9, we developed scenario plans that would be agile in the event the situation on-ground at the tournament instantly changed.
As a proud sponsor, Mastercard refused to let reduced attendance and uncertainty limit what it was able to achieve. In fact, the brand rose to the challenge, reinventing the grand slam tennis experience online, opening new Priceless possibilities to Melbournians, Australians and tennis fans all over the world so they could connect with the tennis like never before, no matter what. At a time when other brands were pulling their sponsorships, Mastercard embraced its values of optimism and inclusivity - and created the most safe, connective and Open ever.
At the heart of our strategy was Priceless.com, housing our campaign hub for content and editorial for all - Cardholders, Fans and Customers.
Creative Execution
We ‘Opened the Open’ by creating the first real-time fully integrated contactless AO grand slam experience – through our ‘Virtual Fans’. Our technology-packed humanoids allowed anyone who couldn’t be there courtside access to all the action in real-time. People beamed into the ‘Virtual Fans’ and soaked up all the best experiences the tournament had to offer. We were prepared, designing a variety of special events throughout the tournament. Our Virtual Vans were able to give fans and out Customers all over the world Priceless experiences, from first serves with John Millman to one-on-one tennis talks with Naomi Osaka to Virtual SME business sessions up close and personal with our Ambassadors and Mastercard insights. Our Virtual Fans extended Mastercard’s reach, becoming a regular fixture of the global broadcast.
To amplify our humanoids we:
Integrated our Ambassadors in our easy to use, Mastercard first Instagram filter to engage fans from all over the world in the AO. Instagram stories, featuring Jim Courier, drove Priceless.com visitation with a ‘swipe’. Fans with the most exciting grand slam filter got the chance to be on the big screen in the arena. Our Instagram filter allowed us to fill the stadiums and screens with excited fans to keep the momentum and energy of the Australian Open going. And when the tournament went into an unexpected five-day lockdown, our Virtual Fans became the only fans in the stadium, again skyrocketing our brand reach.
Activated earned PR, showing how Mastercard combined technology with the nation’s love of tennis to connect fans with the tournament experience, We landed a series of interviews with ambassador, John Millman, and featured on “What’s On” to get fans involved in the action.
Through Mastercard’s global CRM database and our Mastercard owned social channels (Facebook and Instagram) we highlighted ambassador experiences that Cardholders could participate in through the Virtual Fan.
We designed our Virtual Fans to operate on limited manpower, with roaming capability, to be as self-functioning as possible in the event of a lock-down. And when the tournament did go into an unexpected five-day lockdown, our Virtual Fans became the only fans in the stadium, skyrocketing our engagement and reach with audiences.
Proven Results
A sponsorship year of Mastercard firsts, we took the real-time priceless experiences of the tournament to all corners of the world, transcending border closures and lockdowns, so fans could continue to experience the AO like never before. We created the first ever Mastercard Instagram filter that brought fans from around the stadium, courtside to see the action as it was unfolding.