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MasterCard Worldwide belted a home run last year with its marketing campaign, MasterCard Presents MLB Dreams.
Building upon MasterCard's existing affinity relationship with Major League Baseball, the initiative gave cardholders a chance to win a free week with their favorite Major League team. During the campaign, cardholders vied for the chance to watch games from VIP seating–both at the club's own stadium and on the road–observe batting practice, and meet personally with team members and retired stars.
For each transaction using a MasterCard from July 1 through Sept. 30, the card brand entered cardholders into a pool to win one of three MLB Dream prizes of the week with the team of their choice. MasterCard awarded a fourth and similar prize through its priceless.com online promotion based on music videos cardholders submitted on their favorite big league teams.
MasterCard also was a winner, as transactions rose significantly during the contest period, the card brand says, declining to provide specific transaction data. And its MLB Dreams initiative won the Cards&Payments 2008 Best in Payments Best Marketing Campaign award.
MasterCard integrated two other big players into the campaign, Bank of America Corp. and Best Buy Co. Inc. The card brand provided consumers one entry per transaction made using their MasterCards, or two entries if they used their cards at Best Buy during the three-month contest. Cardholders also received double entries for purchases made with a BofA MLB team-affinity card.
MasterCard and BofA are Major League Baseball sponsors. The bank issues 30 team-logo debit MasterCards. BofA previously issued credit cards with team logos.
The MLB Dreams campaign not only increased cardholder transactions by double digits compared with the same period the previous year, it also burnished the company's image, based on tracking algorithms MasterCard uses, according to Cheryl Guerin, MasterCard vice president, promotions and interactive.
"This program gave our reputation a tremendous lift," says Guerin.
MasterCard officials are particularly pleased the marketing campaign reflected positively upon the company because it was conducted during a season in which baseball's own image was taking a bashing from the sport's steroid-use scandal.
Another benefit from the promotion is that it enhanced awareness of MasterCard among consumers, according to MasterCard executives.
MasterCard and the other sponsors promoted the MLB Dreams contest online, in bank branches, on ballpark signage, through direct mail, on television and with outdoor advertising. Some 131 card issuers participated in the marketing program.
The promotion was a continuation of the company's use of Major League Baseball as a marketing vehicle. That relationship also involved the selection of an All-Century Major League Team in 1999 and a Memorable Moments in Baseball History promotion in 2002.
MasterCard believes leveraging sponsorship of baseball with consumers' love of the game and their home teams will generate greater card usage.
"They are highly passionate about their team," Guerin says of baseball fans. "We'll continue to look to baseball. They've provided the greatest return on investment for integrated promotional campaigns of all our marketing campaigns." CP
