MasterCard’s launch of the PayPass card features a series of five humorous videos starring celebrities, including Moving Day, which stars comedian Michael Cross, who is shown moving a variety of off-the-wall items in the back of a cab.
The goal of the campaign is to show how the tap and go card works and where it can be used, according to Matt O’Rourke, creative director at McCann World Group’s MRM Worldwide. The card is being promoted to young people, who can follow Cross’ example and use it in a cab.
The video was shot on the streets outside Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It was shot on film with a 16mm camera.
Cross is seen in the back of the cab with a series of props, from a lamp to an antique clock to a large painting to a harmonica and finally a flaming duralog. “We added flames in post, because you couldn’t light it in the back of the cab,” O’Rourke said.
The crew from Chelsea Pictures, led by director Evan Bernard, shot the video with the taxi on top of a process trailer. “We were towing the car on a platform with lights rigged around it,” he said. There were also exterior shots of Cross entering and exiting the cab. The team had a police escort for the shoot, but the street wasn’t blocked off.
The humor is in the array of props and Cross’ quips about them, such as “Please drive carefully, I didn’t get the extended warranty on this,” when he shows the clock.
“We had to manage his insanity,” Bernard said of Cross. “He wanted to light the duralog in the cab.”
The video began running on Feb. 25 after a MasterCard TV spot on the Oscars promoted the website, www.priceless.com, where the spot plays. It’s also been playing at YouTube and Google Video.
Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta
The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.
The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.
The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.
Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.
Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.
Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.
Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.
The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More