Mastercard leveraged the cultural currency of the Australian Open to amplify their commitment to inclusion by design, capture share of voice, increase brand salience and, above all, make an impact for tennis fans.

The first wheelchair ballkid campaign reached over 400 million people via PR with a $0 spend, supporting an +87% increase in positive brand sentiment MOM.

For young tennis fans, nothing matches the experience of being a ballkid at a major tournament. There is no way to get closer to the best tennis players in the world, no better way to be part of the action, and no greater honor.

But one group of tennis fans have never been given the chance to be ballkids.

Even though wheelchair tennis matches are part of the tournaments, wheelchair ballkids have never been included.

While there were no specific rules disallowing people in wheelchairs from taking part, an underlying social bias prevented them from doing so. Kids in wheelchairs at local clubs were not being selected to trial for ballkid positions in tournaments. They were able to play in junior wheelchair tennis tournaments, but for the role of ballkid, they were left on the sidelines, missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

The tennis world assumed that they simply couldn’t do it.

The Australian Open is one of the biggest moments in the country’s cultural calendar, with 49% of Australians tuning in (a higher percentage than the 37% of Americans who watch the Super Bowl).

Mastercard has sponsored the Australian Open for the past 8 years. From within the tournament grounds and beyond, the brand seeks to use its platform to champion DE&I.

Our brief was to use the nation’s shared passion for tennis to increase brand sentiment, gain share of voice in the cluttered marketing environment and, most of all, make a positive change for tennis fans.

Mastercard believes in a world where everyone belongs, so they brought together a network of passionate experts to make the first wheelchair ballkid possible.

The team consisted of technology partners, ballkid coach and assessor Diana Sutterby, Paralympic gold-medal wheelchair tennis champion Heath Davidson, previous world #4 tennis champion Alicia Molik, accessibility consultants and, most importantly, 11-year-old junior wheelchair tennis champion Sonny Rennison.

Together, we developed first-of-its-kind assistive technology that allows wheelchair users to seamlessly pick up and store tennis balls with the same speed, agility and accuracy as every other ballkid. We also ran a pilot program with Sonny training alongside established ballkids in match conditions to put it to the test, creating a blueprint for tennis tournaments around the world to introduce wheelchair ballkids.

Ballkids are essential to tennis tournaments, yet some kids do not have the opportunity to take part.

Mastercard used the power of its network to make the role more accessible and prove that a wheelchair user can perform the role of a ballkid at the standard required for Grand Slam tournaments.

This message captured the nation.

We told the story through various assets. Our short film showed Sonny’s journey through consulting on the technology, training, and performing the role in his first match. Campaign images showed his ability to maneuver around the court, and interviews with media let him describe the impact of the initiative in his own words.

These assets were first given to media to reach the minds and hearts of tennis fans at scale, then we took it further.

Outside content, we drove fame by open-sourcing the technology so anyone can become a ballkid.

We had a phased PR approach, starting in October 2023, when we brought together experts to consult on the role of a wheelchair ballkid.

From October – December 2023, the team worked alongside Sonny to implement the idea and develop technology that allowed wheelchair users to perform the role. The entire process was captured to form part of our short film and asset package.

We announced the initiative to media in the days leading up to the first Grand Slam of the year, and we owned the news agenda before the players even took to the court.

To drive further scale and talkability, we invited national and international media to witness Sonny’s skills in a live match. This media moment was on the eve of the finals and once again, we owned the news agenda, earning the top share of voice of all sponsors.

We didn’t just make one kid’s dreams come true. The first wheelchair ballkid reached over 400 million people with $0 media spend, and achieved $24.5 million in earned media.

Every national television station covered the story with over 4.6 hours of broadcast, and it was front-page news in both of Australia’s leading newspapers.

There was an 87% increase in positive brand sentiment month-on-month, and Mastercard had the highest earned share of voice compared to all tournament sponsors.

The pilot program was a groundbreaking success, showing what is possible.

Mastercard has open-sourced the technology for all, available through inexpensive 3D printing, taking the impact from an event in Melbourne to the entire world.

As a result of the campaign, wheelchair ballkids will take part in tournament matches in 2025.

A world where we all belong is Priceless.

Mastercard has an established commitment to inclusion by design, previously making an impact through ideas such as Touch Cards™, which allow people who are blind or have low vision to identify different cards, and the True Name™ Card, which lets transgender people use their preferred names.

This work recognised the opportunity to use sport as a springboard to reduce inequalities for people in wheelchairs, giving young tennis fans who have never had a chance to be ballkids a shot at taking the court alongside their heroes.

Beyond making an impact for the individuals involved, it means millions more fans will see themselves represented in Grand Slam television broadcasts, in a way that they’ve never seen before, helping present, and create, a world where we all belong.