Mastercard recently launched a campaign in collaboration with charitable organization Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) to help boost donations for cancer research – and is bringing on Jennifer Hudson to help spearhead the effort.
The campaign, which runs through July 15, will feature Mastercard donating one cent from purchases at qualifying restaurants and grocery stores, with a maximum donation goal of $5 million. The credit card giant will also roll out an advertising campaign, including videos, marketing engagements and live events, with Hudson as the face of it.
Also known by her nickname J.Hud, Hudson found fame as a finalist on American Idol in 2004 and has since grown into a full career as a singer, Academy Award-winning actress and daytime talk show host.
Now, she can add ‘cancer research fundraiser’ to her lengthy résumé.
“Meaningful actions are not always big, but one by one, they can add up to something incredible,” Hudson says in the commercial. “Because when you tap or order online with your Mastercard at restaurants and grocery stores, Mastercard will donate one more cent to Stand Up To Cancer.”
The video builds upon Mastercard’s ‘priceless’ brand by noting: “The strength of us: Priceless.”
“Jennifer Hudson appears and demonstrates what we instinctively know: as individuals we are powerful, but never as powerful as we are when we come together,” Mastercard said in a news release. “Whether eating out or cooking in their own kitchen, Mastercard is giving cardholders an easy way to come together and make individual actions that have an impact in cutting-edge cancer research.”
To bolster the campaign’s effort, Mastercard will also offer live experiences for participating donors, including the chance to watch the New York Yankees batting practice or meet Yankees alumni at a pre-game reception.
The latest campaign builds on Mastercard’s previous long-standing partnership with SU2C, which the company has donated $65 million to over the course of a decade.
This also comes just over a month after SU2C launched a broadcast PSA to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. The effort will run for 12 months via donated media across national and regional broadcast networks as well as out-of-home networks and digital platforms.
Mastercard’s partnership with Hudson is also several years strong.
In 2021, the company announced it was launching a platform to support Black women-owned businesses in collaboration with Hudson. The platform, Strivers Initiative, aimed to boost the visibility of Black women business owners among consumers. The collaboration also included a national ad spot that featured both Hudson and several Black women business owners.