New Zealanders are big fans of rugby. Yet despite being more successful and winning more world cups, their women’s team just doesn’t get the same recognition as the men’s. 

So, to help amplify women’s rugby in Aotearoa for the Rugby World Cup 2021, Mastercard tapped into something else the country was proud of – their Māori culture – and created a memento that honoured the most powerful figure in the community, the Kaikaranga. Giving voice to the women’s game.

Working with Māori artist Nichola Te Kiri, the trophy was designed to echo how the Māori pass on information – orally, through the voices of people that witnessed the game. 

Its swooping form mirrored how the Kaikaranga wears her cloak, and allowed sound to be amplified and clearly heard. It also included Māori design elements that told the story of the tournament.

Every Sonic Trophy held a bespoke audio highlights reel of a match, which played at a touch of a button.

The Sonic Trophy positioned Mastercard as an innovator – 78% increased their belief that Mastercard is an innovative brand.

It demonstrated Mastercard’s connections to the traditions of local culture – 1 in 2 now view Mastercard more positively, due to its understanding of New Zealand culture.

And most importantly, showcased Mastercard’s commitment to accelerating the women’s game and growing youth participation – Mastercard tripled awareness that they’re accelerating women’s sports.

Mastercard helped raise the profile of the game globally. We had the largest Share of Voice across the tournament, which demonstrated a powerful connection to Rugby fans. 

60.8M Impressions on Social

42M Total Reach

$460.2k Earned Media Value

The 26 Elite Athletes who received The Mastercard Sonic Trophy became our spokespeople, and media channel to the next generation. 

We turned the Women’s Rugby World Cup ‘Player of the Match’ trophy from a ‘keepsake on a shelf’ into a powerful memento that could speak to future generations. Every trophy contained the live sounds of the match. 

To capture the raw, live emotions of every game of the tournament, we set up a Mastercard Sonic Studio, made up of a team of sound designers and engineers, who used custom-created software to collect, clip and curate history. 

We needed to feel the fan passion, hear the plays that changed the game, and understand the electric energy of those Priceless moments.

To create the bespoke track for each game, we captured several audio layers: Young female superfans were mic’d up for every game, her voice expressing the action; the official World Rugby broadcast commentary delivered the plays; the stadium roar; the Kaikaranga’s cry; and the Mastercard Sonic brand.

Over 2,080 minutes of gameplay was captured across 6 weeks, edited into bespoke soundtracks, and embedded into 26 trophies. 

Each trophy was awarded to the elite player seconds after the final whistle, as a Priceless memory of the game.

The Mastercard Player of the Match became our media channel to the global rugby youth, sharing the attention the trophy had earned.