Game 4 of the World Series featured some good old postseason baseball with a tech-savvy twist.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled out all the stops to even the Series against the Houston Astros at two games apiece, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa had a message for every fan at Minute Maid Park with MLB’s Ballpark app installed on their phones. Sponsored by Mastercard, Correa appeared through the app’s AR viewer to encourage fans to participate in MLB’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign.
Mastercard raised $4 million throughout the 2017 MLB season with help from fan donations, which the credit card provider paid forward with a $100,000 donation of its own, according to Mastercard.
“We’re proud to come together with MLB, our cardholders and partners for the seventh consecutive year and advance SU2C’s mission,” Andres Siefken, Mastercard’s executive vice president of North American marketing and communications, said in a statement. “It’s truly special to thank baseball fans at the World Series through AR for their commitment towards the fight against cancer.”
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The AR experience occurred in the fourth inning, leaving time for Correa to encourage fans to also fill out and hold up the SU2C placards at their seats as the Astros batted in the fifth inning. Fans had only to point their phone’s camera at the back of the placards to activate Correa’s message.
“Both Mastercard and MLB give Stand Up To Cancer extraordinary opportunities to engage the public in our work,” Rusty Robertson, who co-founded Stand Up To Cancer, said in a statement.
The use of the Ballpark app’s AR function has been used by MLB teams like the Phillies and Mets to enhance the fan experience at their respective stadiums. The Phillies encouraged users to view AR videos of their mascot and players, and the Mets gave out cards of their Home Run Apple that activated the signature home run celebration and led into a montage of Mets homers.
The AR video featuring Correa is not the only way Mastercard has extended its reach into baseball’s championship. In an effort to promote a different type of technology — its Masterpass mobile payment method — the company offered Mastercard cardholders an opportunity to travel to the World Series, attend any potential clincher, and hand out championship t-shirts and hats to the winning team on-field.
Though the World Series and the 2017 baseball season ends with a champion Wednesday night, Mastercard’s relationship with MLB and baseball fans across the country will likely last much longer, with plenty of opportunity for more innovation in community outreach.
Nice catch. Definitely our favorite play of the game. #masterpass pic.twitter.com/WlGkMwTvgY
— Mastercard (@Mastercard) October 26, 2017