Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

RWC2019 Player of the Match Trophy. Harnessing the power of ‘Live Storytelling’, innovative technology & powerful Japanese design to engage rugby fans around the globe. A trophy created for one that was loved by millions. Now that’s Priceless.

Background

At Rugby World Cup 2019 (RWC2019) Mastercard harnessed the power of ‘Live Storytelling’ with a unique combination of technology, fan passion, and Japanese design to create the world’s first live trophy. At the full-time whistle of every match, a one of a kind trophy was freshly engraved with live match commentary and presented to the Player of the Match (POTM) by a Mastercard ambassador. The ceremony beamed to the world via the official broadcast feed. Never before has the unique story of a sporting match been a tangible part of a trophy and presented to the best performing player. It was created with in-the-moment laser etching and reflected the highlights of the game, which were determined by fans via social listening. A priceless memento to mark an exceptional performance on the grandest stage.

Describe the creative idea

Every game in the World Cup is completely unique – it has its own story of heroic comebacks, unforgettable moments, and a nation’s pride. But every Player of the Match trophy is always the same. And Mastercard is all about unlocking priceless. So we created a trophy as unique as the match itself … The world’s first ever Live Trophy… At RWC2019, Mastercard created the world’s first Live Trophy featuring priceless moments identified through social listening and laser engraved in seconds. We brought together rugby fans, Japanese design, game pace storytelling and innovative technology to capture every unique rugby match of the tournament. Rugby World Cup’s first Live Trophy. A trophy that’s created in an instant but etched into the history books forever. A trophy that brought fans together to enjoy and remember RWC Japan 2019. A trophy created for one that won the hearts of millions. Now that’s priceless.

Describe the strategy

It was critical that we reach fans during their most engaged and passionate rugby moments; in game, with a cohesive and compelling message for a diverse global audience. We decided to focus on leveraging the marquee sponsorship asset of the tournament, the Mastercard Player of the Match award. This award is presented to the best performing player of each match (48 matches) of the RWC tournament; as decided by a panel of experts appointed by World Rugby. By chronicling the best on-field game play, whilst amplifying the presentation ceremony - which was integrated into the global broadcast feed for fans at home - we aligned the brand with excellence and leveraged the star power of the winning player. The question was – how could we use the Mastercard POTM award to grab the attention of fans?

Describe the execution

Prior to each game, we used World Rugby Twitter channels to encourage fans to tweet and share their priceless moments of the match live. Using an audio to text software service, we monitored the official World Rugby Commentary, allowing collection of the commentators’ emotional rugby words. Commentary referring to the best moments of the game, moments that sparked excitement or a dramatic change in game play were shortlisted for use on the trophy. Simultaneously, a bespoke Twitter API monitored Twitter for fan spikes in activity that identified specific match highlights; these were then cross referenced with the corresponding commentary shortlist. Once all 15 comments had been approved and stylized into a template, a design file was sent to the Stadium Operations office where a specialist team was ready and waiting to engrave the trophy. The Stadium Operations team executed the speed laser engraving process, creating a one-of-a-kind trophy.

Describe the outcome

Once completed, the trophy was handed over to World Rugby officials for the broadcast presentation to the winning player. Across the tournament, the trophy was presented by a mixture of Mastercard ambassadors including Tennis Superstar Naomi Osaka, Rock Star Yoshiki and Rugby Legend Dan Carter, as well as competition winners and Mastercard C Suite customers. Everyone who was given the trophy to present was blown away by the idea and detail captured during those 80 minutes. A range of POTM trophy content was created for amplification via Mastercard and World Rugby Social channels; including a 360 animated video of each completed trophy allowing fans to read the highlights of the match. Mastercard Rugby influencers visited the POTM Control Room and Stadium Operations Room to live stream the trophy creation.