Play safe, pay safe and always stay safe, says MS Dhoni as part of Mastercard’s ‘Payments ka Powerplay’ campaign
October 7, 2024 | New Delhi, IndiaDeploying engaging cricket analogies, the campaign encourages consumers to confidently make payments with cards.
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 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 an intervention towards reshaping commerce in India by encouraging consumers to go with card payment options that are highly convenient, secure, and rewarding. With cricket being a major passion point for consumers across the country, Mastercard has roped in MS Dhoni, one of India’s most popular cricketers, to take the benefits of using cards to the masses. Among other things, this initiative will play a role in addressing the misinformation around card payments, promoting the usage of card control settings and generating widespread awareness about 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.
Click here to watch the campaign TVCs.
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
