CHALLENGE 1: MAKING MASTERCARD SYNONYMOUS WITH PRICELESS BENEFITS.

Mastercard is not the preferred payment method in the UAE, even for people who have Mastercards.

Task 1: Make Mastercard’s benefits more visible and more synonymous with priceless benefits, for everyone carrying a Mastercard-branded card in their wallets.

CHALLENGE 2: MAKING MASTERCARD THE PREFERRED CARD-ON-FILE.

To improve preference, Mastercard needs to be the card-on-file for consumers’ e-commerce purchases i.e., the registered card, online, on e-commerce platforms.

Task 2: With e-commerce’s rapid growth in the UAE and most consumers having multiple cards in their physical wallets, being card-on-file on e-commerce platforms, was essential in building preference.

CHALLENGE 3: BREAKING THE CASH-ON-DELIVERY HABIT.

44% of UAE consumers rely on cash-on-delivery, preferring cash-on-delivery when buying online.

Task 3: To drive acquisitions, Mastercard needed to find new ways to encourage shoppers to move away from a cash-on-delivery system, and to embrace and trust digital payment solutions.

The day after Christmas, at 6:30 am, Mastercard held a unique sale tied directly to a unique eclipse. The region hadn’t seen a similar eclipse for 172 years, making this the ideal opportunity to capitalise on what would essentially be Mastercard’s logo in the sky.

During the eclipse, 97% of the sun disappeared. For this reason, 97% of the price disappeared on a range of products sold by the region’s biggest online retailer, noon.com.

When the eclipse started, so did the sale. And as the sun diminished, so did the prices, reaching discounts of 97%, and returning gradually to full price. For those who purchased at the exact moment the eclipse formed the Mastercard logo, priceless prizes were awarded.

When we conducted a pan-Arab research into what ‘priceless’ means to people, the most common association (76% of respondents) was that “priceless means an occasion, an experience or a moment that’s rare.”

It was about a story few can tell, and few can be a part of.

On 26 December 2019, there would be a rare solar eclipse in our skies. It was an especially rare occurrence across the UAE; one that had been 172 years in the making.

And the most interesting about the eclipse? Owing to its phases, this rare eclipse would create a Mastercard logo in the sky - twice - during its occurrence.

We often find ourselves asking, could any other brand do this?

The answer in this case, was “No”.

This was something no other brand could ever do.

It was only and solely waiting to be owned by Mastercard.

Before the eclipse on 26 December 2019, by means of a transmedia content strategy across social, digital, mobile, interactive print, outdoor and PR, we created a buzz around the promotion.

On the day of the eclipse, events were held across Dubai, where attendees could watch the eclipse from premier locations while tracking the sale live on their phones in order to get the best prices.

When the eclipse started, so did the sale, for Mastercard holders across the UAE.

And as the sun diminished, so did the prices, reaching discounts of 97%, and returning gradually to full price.

To those who purchased at the exact moment the eclipse formed the Mastercard logo, priceless surprises and prizes were awarded.

• 1,276,197 VISITS to the campaign page on Noon.com during the campaign period i.e., 35% more visits than average during the same period.

• 15-TIMES HIGHER THAN USUAL ENGAGEMENT on Noon.com’s homepage.

• 80,000+ ACTIVE USERS during the eclipse period vs. the average of less than 20,000 for the same duration on an entire day, on the best day.

• An astronomical increase in Mastercards-on-file with 18,282 NEW REGISTERED MASTERCARDS on noon.com during 2 hours of the eclipse vs. the average benchmark of less than 1,000-a-day and vs. the target of 12,000 in one week.

• Products sold out in minutes.