Mastercard’s ‘Spotlight’ Puts a Blind and Partially-Sighted Audience First

Touch Card by Mastercard is a first-of-its-kind accessible payment card system for blind and partially-sighted people. 

To introduce  the Touch Card, McCann has designed the 'Spotlight' film to be as accessible as the card itself.  So that we can get this much-needed innovation into the hands of those who need it most, while educating the general public on the challenges faced by this underrepresented community.

“The Touch Card is Mastercard‘s next step towards promoting inclusivity at scale. By innovating with accessibility in mind, we strive to provide equal opportunity for all to benefit from the ease and security of a digital world,“ said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer and president of Healthcare, Mastercard. 

'Spotlight' puts a blind and partially-sighted audience first, by using audio descriptions like no film has before: as an elevated storytelling device, instead of an afterthought. Both the technique and storyline give viewers a rare glimpse into the everyday life of our partially-sighted actress. Shattering stereotypes often portrayed in the media, the film normalizes the partially-sighted and blind – and shows what a simple, yet profound innovation like the Touch Card can do to empower the community. Innovative use of Dolby Atmos spatial audio ensures the film is not only as inclusive as possible, but fully-immersive and enjoyable for everyone.

The Touch Card campaign is a new and pivotal moment for Mastercard. For the first time, the longstanding Priceless brand has been made relevant and accessible to a whole new demographic: blind and partially sighted people. The ethos of the campaign is conveyed in the tagline: “A world designed for all of us, is Priceless.” The “Spotlight” film is different from any other Mastercard has done, as we’ve reinvented the film medium to make our communications more accessible than ever before for our demographic. The film was born out of an extensive collaboration with the partially-sighted and blind community, and several authorities in the field, such as, VISIONS and the Royal National Institute Of Blind People (RNIB).

The film stars Marilee Talkington, an award-winning actor, artist, writer, director, creator, educator, consultant, disability advocate and activist. Marilee has been advocating for herself for nearly 20 years as a performer with vision loss.

“Spotlight” will run leading up to the Oscar’s this weekend on ABC. The ad will air on HGTV beginning this evening between 8:00 p.m. and midnight EST with subsequent airings on Hulu, Discovery, Food Network, CTV and other channels. You can also view the ad online here.