The Sonic Trophy by Mastercard
A trophy for one, holding the voices of thousands, to inspire the millions that will follow.
The Context
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.
The powerful wāhine
The Sonic Trophy
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 Results
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.
The Sonic Trophy Case Study. 2mins.
The Shared Passion
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.
Young Women as the Fan Commentators. Their live audio gets captured and embedded into The Sonic Trophy.
The Technology
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.
Explanation of The Sonic Trophy Design
The Live Audio
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.
Player of the Match receives The Sonic Trophy
The Endeavour
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.
Ruby Tui receives The Sonic Trophy
The Sonic Trophy Launch Film
Portia Woodman holds The Sonic Trophy