MasterCard India launches 'Escape' based on priceless concept

McCann Erickson New Delhi is the agency behind the ‘Escape' campaign for MasterCard India. The project promotes cashless traveling, anytime and anywhere. MasterCard is the official sponsor of the Indian Premier League, and the commercial naturally calls on mega cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.

Prasoon Joshi, the executive chairman of India and regional creative director of Asia-Pacific at McCann Worldgroup, explains the creative concept: "Not only celebrities, but all of us feel ‘I want to go to a place where nobody knows me and I don't want to interact with any everyday survival things. I want to get away from that."

Affluent Indians like to travel anonymously in order to relax and escape from the drudgery in new cultures and places. The commercial takes the three players across Kenya. In the ad, Tendulkar, Singh and Khan are overwhelmed by the attention of the fans that has chased them from India to Kenya.

Determined to get away, the cricket players escape to the Masai Mara jungle were even the tribal people recoginse them. However, the feeling of being celebrated at the other end of the world is still rewarding. The ad ends with a voiceover "espcaping from one world, but connecting to another: priceless".

"With growing affluence and awareness, an increasing numbers of Indians are travelling abroad each year. This campaign reinforces the benefits that MasterCard provides to all cardholders while travelling; convenience, ease and security," said Raja Balasubramanian, vice-president of marketing, India MasterCard Worldwide.

Credits:
Project MasterCard African connection
Client MasterCard
Creative agency McCann Erickson New Delhi
Chief creative officer Prasoon Joshi
Executive creative director Ashish Chakravarty
Creative director Rajesh Bhardwaj
Art director Rohit Devgun
Media agency Lodestar Universal
Production company Ravi Udyawar Films
Exposure Television, print, outdoor, digital, cinema, in-flight