Mastercard & Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Promote “Small Business Superheroes”

Mastercard has kicked off a new campaign with Disney, using the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, from Marvel Studios, as a platform to highlight “small business superheroes”.

The campaign’s commercial spot features Egypt Otis, owner of Comma Bookstore & Social Hub – a Flint, Michigan small business that specializes in Black and Brown literature, art and music.

Egypt is shown interacting with a customer’s child while using a Mastercard. The girl then imagines herself and Egypt wearing Wakanda costumes, before both salute each other with the iconic Wakanda Forever gesture.

The point of the commercial, according to the press release, is to show "that superheroes are all around us, igniting excitement for the film, her ambition for the future and the belief that she herself has that same potential.”

Select small business owners and youth groups will also be able to attend exclusive screenings for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in New York City and Atlanta, ahead of the film’s release on November 11.

The event is described as a “multisensory experience”, featuring “film-inspired décor, photo opportunities, celebratory food and drink options, a Hall of Heroes video installation honoring attendees and other entrepreneurs, free branded swag and more.”

“When we see role models that look like us, which the film so impactfully demonstrates, it expands our sense of what’s possible, including a more diverse, inclusive economic future,” Dastoor concluded.