PURCHASE, N.Y. -- A MasterCard commercial directed by a leading film director will debut on the broadcast of the Academy Awards on Sunday Feb. 25, the card brand announced.
The 60-second spot entitled, "Ella Phant" will promote MasterCard's contactless PayPass payment technology.
In the whimsical spot, an elephant cares for her under-the-weather zookeeper by tapping a PayPass card to make purchases--including such items as: soup, cold medicine and a blanket--to help her caretaker feel better.
"I'm proud of the work I've done for MasterCard over the years and I'm particularly pleased with 'Ella Phant'," said Jim Sheridan, noted director of full-length feature films. "The campaign is about what matters most, so delivering something that is both emotional and genuine is always the challenge; and I think this spot truly captures that spirit."
Sheridan, an acclaimed director and producer with film credits such as My Left Foot, In America, In the Name of the Father, and Get Rich or Die Tryin' to his name, also directed MasterCard spots entitled "Weekend House" and "Mother-Daughter."
To accompany "Ella Phant" online, MasterCard will debut a series of vignettes featuring celebrities tapping to make purchases using PayPass cards. The tongue-in-cheek vignettes will run live exclusively on priceless.com beginning Feb. 23. In addition to viewing the humorous vignettes, consumers can also learn more about how PayPass works and how to get a card.
"MasterCard is thrilled to be launching a host of creatives to coincide with one of the most anticipated television events of the year," said Amy Fuller, group executive, for MasterCard Worldwide. "It will be an engaging experience for consumers to see a fantastic and compelling 60-second TV spot and then be able to log onto priceless.com to view five others starring some familiar personalities, all in situations that warrant the use of PayPass."
