Company: Mastercard, Miami, FL
Company Description: 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. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Internal Communications - 100 or More Employees
 Nomination Title: The Mastercard Way Carpool Sessions
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 42 words used.
The Mastercard Way Carpool Sessions pdf, with all the details of this unique internal communications campaign and links to the videos of the series, including highlights from the series, teaser video, a full episode, carpool-style content created by employees, and much more!
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
August 30, 2023 (teaser video).
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 242 words used.
Over the past few years, Mastercard has evolved its business strategy to meet and anticipate the needs of its customers, partners, and individuals. As the company looked ahead to materialize its vision, it revisited its culture to ensure that it remained a powerful enabler for the business and a source of pride for its people—this upgrade process began in late 2021.
In November 2022, Michael Miebach, CEO, presented to employees worldwide an updated version of the Mastercard Way. This corporate cultural statement defines how individuals and teams at Mastercard work, outlining the critical principles and behaviors for the company’s future growth.
From that moment forward, to “embed the Mastercard Way in everything we do” became the company’s top priority. From an Internal Communications perspective, not only was it necessary for employees to internalize the Mastercard Way principles but it was imperative for them to grasp the profound impact of this new mindset and feel driven by it immediately.
In early 2023, the Miami-based Internal Communications team for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) conceived and executed a unique communications initiative aimed at capturing employees’ attention and immersing them in the new Mastercard Way.
The result was The Mastercard Way Carpool Sessions, an exclusive series inspired by James Corden’s "Carpool Karaoke" TV show that featured LAC leaders and employees sharing a car ride down the Mastercard Way—literally and figuratively—while reflecting on the importance of the company’s values and behaviors to achieve their goals,
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 246 words used.
The Internal Communications team set out to foster a profound understanding and internalization of the new Mastercard Way among the +1,200 LAC employees. Building on past internal communication initiatives, the team aimed to achieve a minimum of 1,000 unique views for The Mastercard Way Carpool Sessions. Additionally, they targeted open rates exceeding 50% and click-through rates (CTRs) of over 5% in communications associated with the series.
The creative development phase involved conceptualizing the sessions, drawing inspiration from James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke" format to deliver key concepts in a memorable manner. Meticulous planning went into selecting the 'carpoolers', defining episode topics, choosing filming locations and equipment, and scheduling the film shoots.
Implementation involved the thorough execution of each episode, ensuring a structured format, authentic interactions, and an engaging experience for both participants and viewers. All four episodes were filmed in the Miami office parking lot using a SUV specially equipped with GoPro and 360 cameras.
A comprehensive internal communications plan was devised, including a video teaser and a dedicated story on theHUB (the company’s intranet), where employees from LAC and around the world could access all episodes and videos of the series on demand.
The series premiered at the LAC Town Hall on September 6, with one episode released daily for four consecutive days to make a lasting impact. After the rollout of the first four episodes, LAC employees sent in their own Carpool Session-inspired videos and photos, which were shared via internal communication channels.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2022. Even if your initiative started before 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
All communication for series ran within the ecosystem of internal channels and events in the region between September and October 2023. The series amazed LAC employees and connected them to the essence and purpose of the Mastercard Way while helping them to fully understand the importance of embodying the company’s principles to accomplish their most ambitious goals together.
Four 3-minute episodes.
10 carpoolers.
Two days of recording sessions.
+750 employees watched the premiere episode at the Town Hall (in person + live streaming).
The link to access theHUB post with Episodes 1–4 and the employees' Carpool Session-inspired submissions received a total of 4,390 clicks from 934 unique clickers.
1,897 unique views for the full series, the teaser and employee videos. This result demonstrates that the series created by LAC had an impact on Mastercard employees in other regions of the world!
The teaser video email achieved an impressive 67% open rate and 20,6% CTR. On average, employees watched the video more than four times.
Emails featuring Episodes 1–4 maintained a solid average open rate of 61% and an average CTR of 8,4%.
36 LAC employees participated in 17 self-created videos and photos inspired by the Carpool Sessions.
The email featuring a video with employees’ Carpool Session-inspired submissions achieved a 64% open rate and 19,4% CTR. On average, employees watched the video more than five times.
LAC Insider (regional newsletter) editions with the series episodes and related content had open rates as high as 71%.
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