Mastercard believes too much of our world was designed without women in mind – and without women involved. Even today, inequality and exclusion still hold women back. That’s why the company has committed to leading the charge in reshaping the way our world is designed, coded and constructed by bringing diverse perspectives to the table to unlock powerful ideas that open up its industry and the world’s possibilities to women – whether they’re established business owners or just starting out. To reaffirm this, Mastercard committed to helping 25 million woman entrepreneurs grow their businesses by 2025. Our challenge was to raise visibility of this plight within the global business community and among key consumer audiences, in an effort to inspire, engage and support women-owned businesses.

Mastercard chose to use the powerful medium of film, commissioning FIVE – a documentary film short series about the perseverance and passion of woman entrepreneurs. Viewers follow the journey of five women from five countries across the globe (India, Croatia, Brazil, USA and Lebanon) who have each set out to start a purpose-driven business to improve and uplift their communities – doing well, by doing good. The human stories and personal connections featured in the film bring awareness to some of the world’s most critical challenges – from food insecurity and sustainable farming to special education and diversity and inclusion in the workplace – and drive action to build a digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere. All five shorts were directed by women, bringing even more spotlight to the role that women play in business and adding another layer of authenticity to the voices and perspectives of these moving stories.

FIVE provided us the ability to inspire and educate. The goal was to give FIVE global reach, targeting key audiences who have the power to drive change. Through a holistic campaign, we set out to reach partners, customers, peers and consumers with messages of support for inclusion, woman entrepreneurs and gender equality. The core components of our strategy included:

• Earn credible third-party endorsements and distribution partner/platform

• Secure partnerships that will add news value and give the broadest reach with various target audiences (e.g., female entrepreneurs, film industry, business community, consumers)

• Leverage existing Mastercard ambassadors, sponsorships and partners where possible to deliver on the above points, as well as engaging new ones where needed

• Support program beyond earned and owned efforts – paid media commitment for maximum impact

• Utilize global toolkit to ensure consistency and coordination across regions, while still allowing local flexibility and choice

• Secured acquisition of FIVE by ShortsTV for global distribution

• Engaged partners with global reach and resonance (i.e., UN Women Empowerment Principles, Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles, Hearst Media) for screening and panel events, co-branded content, social media support and grassroots communication, enabling us to reach our key audiences to drive viewership

• Entered FIVE shorts into global film festival competitions

• Developed robust social media content for placement across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – supported with both paid and owned efforts

• Conducted expansive earned media outreach in all five regions (India, Croatia, Brazil, USA and Lebanon) to generate both localized and globally reaching news stories

• Created trailers, posters, still images, video clips, press notes and other film marketing materials to support FIVE as one holistic documentary piece, as well as for the individual shorts, to allow for both localized and global marketing and publicity efforts

• Global distribution of FIVE to every region of the world

• Made FIVE available in five languages across 75+ territories

• Debuted FIVE worldwide across four distribution methods (EST, VOD, Virtual Cinema, Broadcast), including AppleTV, Google Play, AT&T and DirectTV, on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2021)

• 6MM+ social impressions

• 200K+ small business owners reached

• 300K+ film trailer views

• Thousands of target-right people reached through virtual attendance at our events in partnership with UN Women Empowerment Principles, San Diego International Film Festival and Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles

• 50+ news stories spanning all five regions

• Revenue generated by on demand purchases of FIVE benefit UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, directly making a positive impact on more women-owned small businesses globally

• Global airline partners considering airing FIVE in-flight starting summer 2021

• Upcoming screenings at multiple universities around the globe.