Next
The newsletter about taking brands into the future.
Hello everyone! Happy Friday.
Welcome back to ‘Next,’ your source of brand and creative inspiration. In this issue, we highlight some of our favorite Pride campaigns and also a great example of an AI campaign.
Please feel free to send any recommended inclusions or requests!
Thanks,
Shrav and Prophecy’s Brand Strategy Team
Mastercard’s ‘True Name’ by McCann.
Sector: Finance
A couple of years back Mastercard launched a card feature called “True Name”. This lets credit card users choose the first name, that appears on their cards.
Goal of the campaign
Mastercard is providing accessibility to the transgender and non-binary community. So that they can change their names on their credit cards. They are often at risk of being denied services, sometimes harassed, and even assaulted. Mastercard aims to provide them with a safe space where they can be their true selves.
Insight
For cardholders in the LGBTQIA+ community, simple everyday transactions are a painful. They are a reminder, that the world doesn't see them as who they truly are.
Solution
The transgender and non-binary community feels unsafe while shopping. Mastercard released a new feature for its cardholders called “True Name”. It aims to ease uncomfortable and unsafe encounters at checkout. The community members feel frustrated showing an ID that doesn’t reflect their identity. The process of changing the ID is often time-consuming, expensive, and uncomfortable. “True Name” lets customers use their true first name on their cards without requiring a legal name change. Mastercard helped the community incorporate their chosen name into their daily life. Even a small offering like this can have such a big impact on people’s mental health and their identity.
Result
2 Billion Impressions
3000% increase in positive sentiment for the brand
3 other brands -Citi, BMO Harrisa and Superbia have released true name cards.
What this could mean for you
Your clients who are supporting the LBGTQIA+ community can offer a simple gesture to form brand loyalty.
Detailed information
https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/vision/who-we-are/pride.html
American Express’s Proudly Backing by Ogilvy.
Sector: Finance
Amex wanted to support LGBTQ+ network for Pride Month at a global level.
Goal of the project
Show American Express’s support towards LBGTQIA+ community.
Solution
The brand wanted to show its support to its LGBTQ+ network for Pride Month at a global level. Amex powerful backs all its members and employees, no matter who they love or how they identify. The campaign originally started on social media and evolved into a global platform. Lizzo, the same year was listed in Adweek's top influencer of 2019 list. She wanted to put on a special concert at New York's Times Square Edition hotel to celebrate pride. All proceeds were donated to Stonewall Community Foundation, which supports the LGBTQIA + community. American Express was chosen as the host band for the performance. The tickets were only made available to holders of one of its credit cards. To support its "Shop Small" program Amex shared a map of LBGTQIA+ business owners in the New York city.
What this could mean for you
This is a great integrated campaign example. It shows how a brand's messaging is communicated through various channels, online and offline. Amex has always been successful in creating exclusivity for its customers.
Detailed information
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/proudly-backing
Bombay Times’s ‘Out & Proud @Work' campaign by FCB India.
Sector: News
Bombay Times collaborates with Pride Circle and FCB India to stop discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community in the workplace.
Goal of the campaign
To help build a more inclusive workplace, without discrimination.
Insight
People are denied job opportunities because of their identities.
Solution
Bombay Times collaborated with Pride Circle and FCB India. They intend to stop discrimination against the LBGTQIA+ community in the workplace. Bombay Times launched the second edition of the campaign, 'Out & Proud @Work.' The campaign highlights the critical issue and often overlooked aspect of LBGTQIA+'s lives: earning a livelihood. The film takes place in a company town hall and features Akshay Verma, Co-founder of Fitpass. The film shows that Akshay applied for a client-facing job at his own firm. But instead of his own identity, he applied as a trans man and got rejected. 86% of the LGBTQIA+ community feels unaccepted at their workplaces. Bombay Times aims to bridge the gap between job seekers and opportunities through partnership. The initiative promotes open dialogue on the LBGTQIA+ subject, involving a wider audience. The website shares further stories as well.
What this could mean for you
This is a great example of an internal campaign and different ways to show your clients how to incorporate inclusivity in the workplace.
Detailed information
https://www.timesoutandproud.com/
ING’s Future Me - an AI banking campaign by Gong.
Sector: AI, Finance
Gong helped the young people visualize their retirement using AI
Goal of the campaign
Only 20% of young Poles think about life after retirement. The estimated retirement income in Poland for today's 20-year-olds will only be 25 percent of their last salary.
Insight
Visualizing retirement will encourage young Poles to save money.
Solution
It is difficult to think about our distant future. Our brains tend to focus on the present, especially when the future doesn’t look promising. Using state-of-the-art generative AI technology, ING released "Future Me”
"Future Me" is an AI-powered app that generates a personalized picture of you in retirement based on a description of your dreams and plans. All the users have to take their picture and answer a prompt “What do you want to do in the future? Gong combined several Generative AI algorithms into one app. One algorithm creates aged versions of photos. Another generates futuristic worlds based on user images. The third one enlarges images for printing on canvas. This is a reminder for future generations of a valuable future worth preserving. To make the communication more impactful, the campaign assets were created with AI. The assets include videos, voiceovers, and music while being guided by the human creative's moderation and editing.
Result
Over 30,000+ images generated
55,000+ comments and reactions
ING was able to sell 300% more retiring products
It reached to 13 Million people
ING is considered #1 bank for saving in Poland
What this could mean for you
Showing your clients how you can incorporate AI into your branding.
Detailed information
https://www.gong.co/ing-future-me.html
Technology used
The production process involved utilizing Midjourney.
DALL-E for combining multiple visual assets.
Stable Diffusion's Image-2-Image and Topaz for picture fine tuning.
Thank you for reading!