Credit card brand humor is coming to the forefront with brands like Mastercard using humorous strategies to bring digital payments into mainstream culture. According to Campaign U.S., the leading source of global ad industry news and analysis, effective storytelling is the driving factor behind new and improved campaigns.
The Cost of “Priceless”
Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s chief marketing, and communications officer knew that the Priceless campaign had run its course when he came into his role in 2013 at one of the top credit card brands in the world. Rather than change for change’s sake, Rajamannar sought a different approach.
Today’s most revered brands are consistent with every aspect of their marketing in an effort to streamline communication to their customer base. Sure, updates here and there are made in order to keep up with the times, but sometimes, subtlety doesn’t cut it.
In July 2016, Mastercard unveiled a complete rework of their logo and brand for the first time in 20 years, a “delicate undertaking” for one of the largest credit card brands in the world. To do this, Rajamannar had to ensure that every merchant using Mastercard would immediately recognize the new iteration of the brand identity as “Mastercard”.
Masterpass Uses Card Brand Humor to Tell a Story
“Masterpass”, the digital brand of Mastercard, is virtually the same as Mastercard but represents the digital arm of the brand. Masterpass is even coined as a verb in the video advertisements so that the story exudes the ease of paying with a digital wallet.
Rajamannar recognized what not all credit card brands do: consumers don’t want to be taught how to do something new, they want to be shown how to do something new, and in a context that is understood. Their most recent ad, the “Nacho Jersey” spot, has been airing during postseason baseball games and conveys the message that paying for something through the digital wallet is easy to use and can get you out of a jam when you need to pay for something in the moment.
Citing that “modern life needs a modern way to pay”, Rajamannar successfully married the memorable content of Priceless to the new campaign surrounding Masterpass. In an attempt to breathe new life into Priceless, the marketing team at Mastercard is relying on humorous plots that are relatable for their consumer base in an effort to maintain good relationships with their clients and forge new relationships new customers.
Experience Payments Differently
Credit card brand humor exists throughout the industry – processors like Payline are also bringing laughter to brand strategy. Check out the latest video from our marketing team; if you’re looking for a processor that delivers quality solutions along with quality content, look no further than Payline.
