Play safe, pay safe and always stay safe, says MS Dhoni as part of Mastercard’s ‘Payments ka Powerplay’ campaign
Continuing its efforts of making commerce safer and smarter, Mastercard has launched a new card advocacy campaign, ‘Payments Ka Powerplay’. The campaign, live from 1st till 15th October, features former Indian cricket team captain and Mastercard’s brand ambassador, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a series of six commercials highlighting the benefits of using cards, such as security, chargebacks and purchase protection for cardholders.
The campaign uses interesting cricket analogies to empower cardholders to confidently make payments through cards. One analogy compares the width of a cricket bat to the four-centimeter range within which contactless transactions can occur, making contactless payments easier to understand and addressing misinformation around their safety. Another analogy uses cricket fielding to explain card control settings, such as activating contactless payments, daily usage control, and setting online payment and international usage limits. The campaign also humorously compares chargebacks to Decision Review System (DRS), a technology-based system in cricket that helps on-field umpires make accurate decisions.
“‘The ‘Payments Ka Power Play’ campaign is among Mastercard’s interventions towards making commerce safer in India by nudging cardholders towards more secure and smarter digital payment options using cards. What better way to do that than using cricket analogies by leveraging the company’s long-standing relationship with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Humour is also an effective tool, such as comparing chargebacks to DRS review system in cricket. Reinforcing the safety and security of card payments alongside wide-ranging benefits, the campaign is aimed to address misinformation around card payments, promote the usage of card control settings and explain the benefits of tokenized transactions,” said Gautam Aggarwal, Division President, South Asia at Mastercard.
The commercials will stream on television and digital channels through content integrations with leading TV shows, YouTube and OTT platforms, as well as retail activation, innovative OOH and social media channels.
Under the ‘Payments Ka Powerplay’ campaign, Mastercard has also introduced an initiative called ‘Score Kya Hai’, which is meant to encourage cardholders to make contactless payments this festive season to win exciting rewards. The highest contactless transactor will get a chance to play a friendly cricket match with Dhoni.
The campaign has been timed with the onset of the festive season starting October. Mastercard Economics Institute’s recent report cites that last year, pre-festival transactions surged by over 200% compared to regular days. Besides metros, the rise in affluence, digital adoption, and financial inclusion has particularly benefited Tier 2 cities. During Diwali, daily spending in cities like Indore, Udaipur, and Lucknow jumped by over 190%, significantly higher than the ~120% rise seen in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
Committed to India’s pulse, Mastercard aims to make card payments a preferred choice for millions of Indians, ensuring a safe, secure, and rewarding festive shopping experience.