What if that daily commute could be an imaginative story. Through McCann and Mastercard’s Transit Tales even an everyday routine can be priceless. The partners have created personalised audio stories matched to the exact duration of a commuter’s train journey. Transit Tales invites commuters to select from a series of beloved literary classics including The Great Gatsby, The Jungle Book, Romeo & Juliet, The Wizard of Oz and Dracula and reimagine them through alternate genres such as mystery thriller, superhero saga, dystopian adventure or sci-fi fantasy. Each journey produces a unique AI-generated narration based on the user’s route, genre and length of journey.
Built for mobile and tablet, Transit Tales uses AI technology and real-time transit data to create its personalised audio stories and is accessible at no cost. It is available to over 1.2 million daily travellers and all stories are also available in transcript format, to be inclusive and accessible for everyone. Once a trip is complete, commuters can purchase the original books in audio, hard or soft copy via online retail platforms.
The experience has launched as part of Mastercard’s global Tap, Go, Play urban mobility campaign.
Florencia Aimo, vice president, integrated marketing and communications, Australasia, Mastercard, said, “Transit Tales is about bringing a little more joy and imagination to an everyday routine. It showcases how Mastercard continues to innovate with purpose, creating inclusive, digital experiences that make people’s lives easier and more enjoyable.”
Shane Geffen, executive creative director at McCann Australia, added,“There’s been a lot of talk about AI and creativity. We couldn’t think of a better way to harness it than by turning mundane train rides into imaginative escapes. It’s a highly technical project but made simple thanks to Mastercard’s openness to innovation and our brilliant production partners.”
Transit Tales will be live across Sydney’s train and metro network until Setember 28, supported by out-of-home, digital, and social activations.
Credits
Client: Mastercard
Creative Agency: McCann
Production: Nakatomi
Sound Studio: Rumble Studios
Media Agency: Carat
Communications, Social & Influencer Agency: Ogilvy PR
