Overview
The value in mergers and acquisitions is undisputed. However, they can also be tricky for the parties involved. When Mastercard acquired Pune-based Electracard in 2014, it was a bit of a culture mis-match for Mastercard management and Electracard employees at the very least. Inspite of the best laid plans for handling the merger, things were difficult for Mastercard’s corporate team when reality set in. After all, management must deliver on the base business, align the strategies, put a new organization in place, and realize synergies—right away and all at once.
Case Timeline
2018 – 2019
Brand
Mastercard | Email Marketing, Print, Standee design, Poster design, Activation
Change management tactics
To add to business complexities, going from a fledgling start-up to a fully fledged corporate in a matter of weeks meant that Electracard employees were still coming to grips with Mastercard’s MNC culture and brand despite an induction process. But this change-management tactics had to be subtle rather than mandatory for a successful outcome. A gradual absorption to Mastercard’s workplace etiquette and policies and rules without ruffling too many feathers was required.
Focusing on a single outcome
To create a communication campaign for the newly inducted Electracard team raising awareness about Mastercard policies and accepted social etiquette.
The Idea
Velocita created 2 humanlike ficitional colleagues for the employees—The euphonious Ms. Etty Kit donned the mantle of advisor on all matters social and Mr. S.E. Curity dispensed advice on workplace security. To get a buy-in from employees, the ask and the way it was communicated had to be both simple and easy to accomplish. For instance, switching off the lights, when leaving a room, or disposing off waste in the right bins. Once employees had embraced the notion of the two characters, more important communication was eased in to periodically.
The execution
On-ground character cutouts were installed to introduce the figures and the central message at the recently acquired Mastercard offices. This was followed up by a series of posters and emailers that addressed specific issues ranging from switching off lights to managing password protocols.
The campaign also included parallel initiatives, for example: a fun on-line quiz that urged employees to map their social skills/security awareness on a Be Brilliant Scale. Employees that were able to score the highest (by answering how an ideal Mastercard employee should act professionally) were rewarded with mementos.
