Mastercard has an established commitment to inclusion by design, previously making an impact through ideas such as Touch Cards™, which allow people who are blind or have low vision to identify different cards, and the True Name™ Card, which lets transgender people use their preferred names.

Mastercard has sponsored the Australian Open for the past 8 years. From within the tournament grounds and beyond, the brand seeks to use its platform to champion DE&I.

Our task was to increase brand sentiment, gain share of voice and, most of all, make the game more inclusive.

Mastercard believes in a world where everyone belongs, so they brought together a network of passionate experts to make the first wheelchair ballkid possible.

The team consisted of technology partners, ballkid coach and assessor Diana Sutterby, Paralympic gold-medal wheelchair tennis champion Heath Davidson, previous world #4 tennis champion Alicia Molik, accessibility consultants and, most importantly, 11-year-old junior wheelchair tennis champion Sonny Rennison.

Together, we developed first-of-its-kind assistive technology that allows wheelchair users to seamlessly pick up and store tennis balls with the same speed, agility and accuracy as every other ballkid. We also ran a pilot program with Sonny training alongside established ballkids in match conditions to put it to the test, creating a blueprint for tennis tournaments around the world to introduce wheelchair ballkids.

Ballkids are essential to tennis tournaments, yet some kids do not have the opportunity to take part.

Mastercard used the power of its network to make the role more accessible and prove that a wheelchair user can perform the role of a ballkid at the standard required for Grand Slam tournaments.

This message captured the nation.

We told the story through various assets. Our short film showed Sonny’s journey through consulting on the technology, training, and performing the role in his first match. Campaign images showed his ability to maneuver around the court, and interviews with media let him describe the impact of the initiative in his own words.

These assets were first given to media to reach the minds and hearts of tennis fans at scale, then we took it further.

Outside content, we drove fame by open-sourcing the technology so anyone can become a ballkid.

Through consultation with wheelchair tennis players and disability advocates, we identified that difficulty in quickly picking up balls has always kept wheelchair users from consideration as ballkids.

We developed first-of-its-kind assistive technology that allows wheelchair users to pick up and store tennis balls with the same speed, agility and accuracy as every other ballkid.

The handheld device uses tension to collect and store multiple tennis balls, with an angled opening for quick pick-up. The handle is finished with grip tape so that the user can maneuver their wheelchairs, just like wheelchair tennis players do with their rackets.

The devices had to be simple and inexpensive. They were made available worldwide through open-sourced 3D printing, so anyone has the equipment to become a ballkid.

During the first Grand Slam of the year, the first wheelchair ballkid hit the court. Sonny showed the technology to the media, and they showed the world.

During the first Grand Slam of the year, the first wheelchair ballkid hit the court. Sonny showed off the new technology to the media, and they showed the world.

Within the first month of release, the technology behind the first wheelchair ballkid reached over 400 million people with $0 media spend, and achieved $24.5 million in earned media.

There was an 87% increase in positive brand sentiment month-on-month, and Mastercard had the highest earned share of voice compared to all tournament sponsors.

The pilot program to test the product was a groundbreaking success, showing what is possible.

The community voiced their support, and Disability Sports Australia, a leading national sporting organization for people with a disability described the design as “Sustainable, meaningful… something that can become sector-changing.”

As a result of the campaign, wheelchair ballkids will take part in tournament matches in 2025.