MasterCard #AcceptanceMatters

I launched #AcceptanceMatters, a multi-year campaign within Priceless Causes championing acceptance for all people regardless of identity. It began on a float at NYC Pride and kept going through the years that followed, showing up at the moments that mattered as they happened.

The situation

Brand purpose claims are cheap; proving one at a cultural flashpoint is not. Acceptance had to read as a commitment MasterCard was willing to make in public, in real time, rather than a seasonal gesture.

The thinking

I launched the campaign with a socially enabled Pride Parade float at NYC Pride, then marked subsequent LGBTQIA+ milestones in real time — including the Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage. Each moment was treated as a cultural event to show up for rather than a content opportunity to plan around.

Results

8M impressions · 2M engagements · 3.8M video views. The concept that came out of the campaign — financial products that honor chosen names — was the platform that laid the groundwork for True Name, the chosen-name card Mastercard launched in 2019.