2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for PR?

As expressed by the Head of the Dubai Astronomy Group, "Astronomy is rooted to the hearts of the people and to the faith." So, as the interest around a rare solar eclipse was high in the UAE alongwith considerable media coverage was also high, we hijacked that buzz, putting a Mastercard promotion where everyone was already looking; playing on the fact that the eclipse would paint the Mastercard logo in the sky. Bringing to life Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar’s "Marketing 5.0" vision to creatively transform the brand, we engaged people and media, showcasing Mastercard as a true marketing innovator.

Background

In a region where shopping online is dominant, yet paying online is not, Mastercard has to find new ways to encourage shoppers to move away from a cash-on-delivery system, and to embrace and trust online payment solutions. At the same time, Mastercard is in an ongoing battle for preference above other competitive cards; and in an ongoing pursuit to build both brand loyalty and affinity. Since Mastercard removed their name from their logo recently, there has been a drive to increase brand awareness and highlight the brand’s relevance in every piece of communication. With this brief, Mastercard set out to change behaviour by building trial and trust in online purchasing, while becoming the “card-on-file” i.e. the card that’s registered on users’ online and e-commerce platforms, thereby positioning itself as the most valuable card in your wallet.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

On December 26, 2019, there would be a rare solar eclipse in skies around the world. It was, especially, a rare occurrence across the UAE, one that was 172 years in the making. And we saw an opportunity to put Mastercard’s brand where everyone was looking, and activate usage. We got Mastercard to partner with Noon.com, the biggest e-commerce retailer in the UAE, and built a unique activation and promotion tied to the eclipse. Since 97% of the sun would disappear, 97% of the price would disappear too on the region’s biggest online retailer, noon.com, getting people excited not only for the sight of the century, but also for the sale of the century. In bringing the dead retail season to life, we left behind a priceless and memorable account of that one time that nature painted the Mastercard logo in the sky. One that got the entire UAE talking.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

AUDIENCE AND MEDIA: We were targeting shoppers across the UAE who used e-commerce shopping platforms. We wanted their Mastercard card to be the card-on-file for them. We were also targeting media and aiming for them to cover Mastercard as a marketing innovator in the region. And leverage their influence. DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHT: Data proves that the period from December 26 to January 2, right after the Christmas holiday and shopping bonanzas across the UAE, tends to be the slowest retail season. Everyone has shopped and spent all their shopping budgets, with very little remaining in their wallets. PR STRATEGY: So, we hijacked the pre-Christmas shopping festival with news, content and PR about the sale of the century that was coming up on December 26 when the solar eclipse would happen and encouraged people to hold onto part of their wallets and part of their holiday season’s shopping budgets for December 26.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Before the eclipse, through a transmedia PR strategy, across social, digital, mobile, outdoor and on-ground events, we created astronomical buzz about the promotion. On the day of the eclipse, we also engaged with lifestyle influencers and the Dubai Astronomy Club to maximize engagement and reach, and to build affinity and establish a heightened connection with consumers And during the eclipse, from 6:30 to 8:30 am, one day after Christmas, Astronomical Sales from Mastercard, brought a dead retail season back to life. And when the eclipse started, so did the sale. As tens of thousands of people tuned in on ground on their mobiles and at home from their laptops and mobiles, as the sun diminished, so did the prices, reaching discounts of 97%, and returning gradually to full price. For those shoppers who purchased at the exact moment when the eclipse formed the Mastercard logo, priceless surprises were awarded.

List the results (30% of vote)

Astronomical Sales helped Mastercard win attention, share-of-wallet and grow users. Furthermore, the campaign deeply resonated with consumers on social media. The event created a buzz and led to user generated posts and increased shareability of the Astronomical Sales countdown. +116% engagement vs. benchmarks. +120 million social conversation impressions. 18,000 new registered Mastercard users on Noon.com. In just 2 hours, Mastercard cardholders registration on Noon.com were the same as would usually be expected from a 2 to 3 month campaign. All products promoted were sold out during the eclipse – a record for e-commerce in the UAE. As a result, Noon.com, the partner e-commerce platform, benefitted too. 15 times increase in the banner click through rate on Noon.com’s homepage. Says Faraz Khalid, Noon.com CEO: “A vast majority of customers use cash-on-delivery as a payment method upon checkout. So, what was effective about this campaign was that the window that this campaign ran in, very rarely do credit cards become the dominant mode for payment. This is unique not just for Noon.com but also for e-commerce in our region. This has helped create awareness among customers to come online and shop with trust and that’s the real success of this campaign for us.”