Dive Brief:

• Mastercard has a new multi-channel campaign that celebrates Black women small business owners and ties back to Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” film, per a press release.
• The themed campaign includes a 30-second spot featuring Egypt Otis, an owner of a small business specializing in Black and Brown literature, art, and music in Flint, Michigan and depicts the store owner as a real-life superhero and role model for a young shopper.
• Mastercard is also launching a small business marketplace on Instagram to highlight Black women-owned businesses and products and will create a content series across various platforms. In November, the company will also activate Meta's Horizon Worlds with an experience meant to highlight Black-owned small businesses. 

Dive Insight: 

In an effort to highlight the tools Mastercard offers small businesses, the brand is elevating the voices of minority business owners across video and social media. A 30-second spot features Otis, who owns Comma Bookstore & Social Hub, acting as a mentor to a young girl shopping at the store, painting her as a superhero and trickling in clear nods to the upcoming “Black Panther” sequel.

Mastercard is also leaning heavily into social media activations with the launch of a shoppable Instagram experience featuring Black women-owned businesses and products that users can buy from directly through the platform. Mastercard will launch a content series that will span multiple social media platforms and highlight success stories from business owners including Talia Boone, founder of floral wellness service Postal Petals and Jean Brownhill, founder of contractor network Sweeten Enterprise.

In November, the company will stretch into the metaverse by activating on Meta’s Horizon Worlds to connect players with Black-owned small businesses through activities and unique stories. 

Mastercard will host exclusive screenings of the latest “Black Panther” installment in New York City and Atlanta for select business owners and youth groups prior to the film’s release on Nov. 11. The screenings will feature film-inspired decor, photo opportunities and a “Hall of Heroes” video installation honoring attendees and other entrepreneurs.

“When we see role models that look like us, which the film so impactfully demonstrates, it expands our sense of what’s possible, including a more diverse, inclusive economic future,” Rustom Dastoor, executive vice president of marketing and communication for Mastercard North America said in the release. 

These moves build on previous efforts, including a $500 million pledge meant to help close the racial wealth and economic gap in the U.S and the creation of the Striver Initiative, a platform meant to support Black women-owned businesses.

As the highly anticipated release of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” approaches, several brands have released campaigns themed to the movie in various ways. Sprite Zero Sugar, for instance, highlighted the Black and Hispanic women behind the movie. Meanwhile, Lexus playfully referenced the film’s Dora Milaje warriors, and DoorDash partnered with Marvel to craft a five-part comic series.