MasterCard is activating its new three-year ‘official payment’ partnership with the Australian Open 2017 via a multi-faceted campaign that revolves around the tennis tournament’s ‘Happy Slam’ theme.
As the official payment partner of the first tennis major of the year, MasterCard is leveraging its ‘Sponsor of the Happy Slam’ status with integrated, inter-connected activity that ranges from TV advertising and digital/social content, to a bespoke branded game, on-site experiential work, competitions
The global payments giant has teamed up creative agency McCann partnered, sports and entertainment agency Octagon, interactive agency Digital Arts Network Sydney and media agency Carat and Weber Shandwick to bring in-person fans and home-viewers face-to-face with the tournament.
The opening ‘Happy Slam’ TV ad is essentially a mood-setting, 30-second tournament and campaign teaser which edits footage from previous Australian Opens to create a film in which players and fans alike dance in time to Pharrell’s hit ‘Happy’.
The traditional advertising strand is supported by digital and social activation that revolves around the campaign’s web hub at https://happinessserved.mastercard.com.au/ and is fuelled by the the tournament’s #HappySlam and the campaign’s #HappinessServed hashtags.
The site includes a set of content pieces, interactive tools, engaging games and contests.
To further tap into the ‘happy’ theme, the web hub includes a bespoke ‘Happiness Meter’ (https://happinessserved.mastercard.com.au/#happiness-meter): designed to capture and measure ‘every Oooh, Ahhh, OMG and LOL throughout the tournament’.
This tool, created by Digital Arts Network, tracks and monitor the levels of happiness at the Open: it aims to encourage tennis fans to ‘make an absolute racquet’ on-court and on social media which the brand’s on-site ‘Happy Snappers’ team will snap it all up.
The idea is the more fans laugh, cheer, celebrate and smile (and use the #HappinessServed tag), the more Priceless Surprises and Rewards will be unlocked through the hub offering more ways to enjoy during the Australian Open.
‘Happiness’ is being measured according to the following metrics:
1 point > Social media ‘Like’
2 points > #HappinessServed hashtag
3 points > Social media ‘Share’
4 Points > Social/digital ‘Comment’
5 Points > Photo/Image ‘Smile’
The hub also hosts a series of Australian Open contests – that are primarily linked to the brand’s Facebook and Instagram platforms – and which offer fans multiple opportunities to win Priceless Surprises largely by showing various ways of enjoying the tournament.
Various contest strands encourage fans to engage with the brand and the event ranging from simply sharing their smiling photos to offering their top tips on how to enjoy the event and playing the brand’s bespoke, mobile-led ‘Tap Tennis’ game.
The latter leverage phase allows fans to compete in a virtual game of tennis: a a digital and onsite tournament that allows tennis fans to compete in a virtual game of tennis using the power of tap.
Tap Tennis players compete across the digital and onsite activations to win a trip to the Australian Open – where eight finalists will compete in a championship match on court via a custom-built, oversized interactive Tap Tennis table on Australia Day at Melbourne Park.
Tap Tennis players qualify for the championships via a series of mobile-first HTML 5 Canvas mini-games that challenge them to prove their speed, agility and reaction skills.
The finalists will, of course, receive the complete, elite pro sports star treatment (with return airfares, five-star accommodation at the Grand Hyatt and spending money) courtesy of Mastercard.
These social and physical contests, which close on 29 January, offer prizes ranging from VIP match tickets and behind-the-scenes tour experiences, to Melbourne City stays, legendary player meet-and-greets, official Australian Open hats, shirts and towels, as well as a selection of player autographed merchandise.
Plus access to the sponsor’s at-event, branded ‘HappyNest’ space: where tennis fans can enjoy smile detectors, cooling towels, jukeboxes, free merchandise and drinks, as well as a slew of surprise star and celebrity appearances.
As part of its wider ‘Advantage You’ initiative, MasterCard is also offering card holders an exclusive set of offers and experiences available to its Priceless Cities members.
As well as the ads and the various digital, social, outdoor and onsite activation elements, the campaign is further supported by legendary ambassadors like Martina Hingis, Jim Courier and Lleyton Hewitt,
Are you ready for the #HappySlam? We caught up with @AustralianOpen Ambassador @lleytonhewitt! https://t.co/HRR2sdosUG @mastercardau #sun7
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) December 21, 2016
.@officialhewitt joins us LIVE as he takes on a different kind of training ahead of the #HappySlam, the @AustralianOpen! #sun7 pic.twitter.com/rZc38RRZdM
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) December 21, 2016
‘The theme of “happy” was an obvious choice for the tournament,’ explains McCann Sydney managing director Adam Lee.
‘The Australian Open is known for its fierce competition on court, but also for the surrounding atmosphere – it’s so Aussie; fun, laid-back and light-hearted. It’s really social, it’s actually known colloquially known as the “Happy Slam”’.
Indeed, brand ambassador Pharrell Williams has already worked with MasterCard as an endorser across its mainstream marketing campaigns and sponsorship activation for several years: including fronting a strand of the brand’s ongoing ‘Priceless Surprises’ as long ago as 2014.
‘Strategically, we looked at establishing a truly valuable role for MasterCard and an approach that sets a strong foundation for the brand to have some fun with and build on over the next 3 years,’ adds Lee.
Sarah Pike, head of marketing at MasterCard Australasia adds: ‘Happy experiences last a lifetime. And, it’s actually what we’re best known for here at MasterCard: providing access to new and Priceless Experiences. Particularly through technology. So it really is a natural fit for us to be amplifying happiness at the Australian Open. We can’t wait for the Happy Slam to start and see the campaign in full swing.’
Comment:
Last year’s Australian Open attracted a record crowd of 720,363 people and 13% of all at-tournament attendees are visiting from overseas – so the tournament is a significant tourism driver for Australia and a good fit for a global, cross-border payments brand like MasterCard.
It was back in October 2016 that MasterCard was named as the official payment partner for the Australian Open.
The three-year deal was the first of its kind for Tennis Australia and also marked MasterCard’s second key sponsorship of one of the so-called Grand Slam tournaments.
Other aspects of the partnership sees MasterCard also become the naming rights partner of the Hopman Cup and an official partner of the Emirates Australian Open Series tournaments in Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide.
MasterCard is also tied-in with several Australian Open lead-up events and is running launch activities in key Asian markets including Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore.
Tennis Australia Commercial Director Richard Heaselgrave is pleased to welcome Mastercard to the Australian Open partner family.
‘We are delighted to join forces with Mastercard and welcome them to our partner family, as the official payment partner for the Australian Open and some of our AO Series tournaments, as well as the naming rights partner for the Mastercard Hopman Cup,’ said Tennis Australia commercial director Richard Heaselgrave at the time the deal was signed.
‘As a prestigious international brand with a focus on innovation, MasterCard aligns perfectly with our values and particularly our efforts in global promotion and tourism. Establishing close relationships with some of the world’s best brands, such as Mastercard, is a vital part of our growth strategy, and one that will benefit all our fans, both in Australia and around the world.’
While MasterCard Senior Vice President Marketing Asia Pacific Sam Ahmed added: ‘We know that impactful partnerships, like ours with Tennis Australia, drive transactions by emphasising to millions of fans worldwide the benefits of being a Mastercard cardholder. This new partnership provides Mastercard with another key platform to connect and engage deeply with cardholders, particularly the growing audience of fans coming into Melbourne from across Asia, to showcase to consumers why being a Mastercard cardholder is Priceless.’
From ticket buying platforms, travel bookings and transport payments, to paying buying food, drink and merchandise at the tennis, the partnership aims to enable MasterCard to demonstrate to cardholders how fast, easy and safe it is to rely on your Mastercard to make it all happen for you.
In addition to the newMasterCard alliance, The Australian Open’s other corporate partnerships include top tier sponsor Kia, as well as ANZ, Jacobs Creek and Rolex, plus partners Accor Hotels, Aperol Spritz, Blackmores, Canadian Club, Coca-Cola, Coopers, CPA, Emirates, Frabntelle, Haagen-Dazs, Hisense, IBM, K&L Gates, Lavazza, Medibank, City Of Melbourne, Optus, Toshiba, Wilson, William Hill, Woolworths and Yonex.
Links:
MasterCard
https://twitter.com/MastercardAU
https://www.youtube.com/user/MasterCard
https://www.instagram.com/mastercardau/
McCann Sydney
Octagon
http://www.octagon.com/australia
Australian Open
https://twitter.com/australianopen
https://www.instagram.com/australianopen/
