Mastercard has launched its Touch Card feature in Canada, an innovation that includes tactile notches designed to empower the sight-loss community.
The credit-card company worked with Mara Lauren Hutchinson, advocate for the blind, to display the Touch Card feature’s capabilities and mark its Canadian launch. A hero video by agency partner McCann highlights Hutchison’s authentic story and how she uses the Touch Card feature in everyday life.
“We created the video as a ‘described video’ with key details to make it easier for the sight-loss community to experience how the Touch Card feature can have a positive impact on her day-to-day financial activities with just a touch,” says Shawna Miller, Mastercard Canada’s senior VP of marketing and communications.
CIBC is the first issuing partner to make the feature available to Canadians with the CIBC Adapta Mastercard. The campaign launch coincides with National AccessAbility Week, from May 25 to 31, which celebrates the contributions and leadership of people with disabilities in Canada.
“For the 1.5 million Canadians who are blind, Deafblind or have low vision, the Touch Card feature is a continuation of our commitment to innovation and inclusivity in partnership with the sight-loss community to create a more accessible and inclusive experience,” Miller says. “As payment cards continue to adopt modern, flat designs, the Touch Card by Mastercard is inclusive by design and addresses a longstanding challenge faced by Canadians with sight loss when engaging in everyday financial activities.”
Miller tells strategy that the tactile solution offers a greater sense of security and independence for the sight-loss community and reinforces the brand’s position that the digital economy should work for everyone, everywhere.
“Most recently, this was seen through the launch of [the Mastercard] True Name, a feature that allows transgender and nonbinary people to proudly display their chosen name on their credit card, and Sonic, a unique set of six notes and animation that reinforces successful payment through a multisensory confirmation,” Miller says.
According to Miller, Mastercard is in regular communication with accessibility experts around the world in an effort to serve overlooked communities. For the Touch Card, Mastercard worked with a cross-functional team and external partners, such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
The launch was supported by Weber Shandwick Canada on PR and Carat on paid media. Audio Z is the French audio provider and Craft Canada supported with the video production.
Content will live across owned and paid social media, a strategic mix of media partnerships with outlets such as The Globe and Mail, Financial Post and a national audio news release.
