MasterCard 2008 Annual Report Download - page 25

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In addition, in December 2008, MasterCard acquired Orbiscom Ltd., a leading payments solutions software
provider for financial institutions. The acquisition builds on the existing partnership between MasterCard and
Orbiscom that created MasterCard inControl, an innovative platform featuring an array of advanced
authorization, transaction routing and alert controls designed to assist financial institutions in creating new and
enhanced payment offerings.
Marketing
We manage and promote our brands for the benefit of all customers through brand advertising, promotional
and interactive programs and sponsorship initiatives. In 2006, we adopted a new corporate brand, MasterCard
Worldwide, to reflect our three-tiered business model as franchisor, processor and advisor and a new corporate
vision statement, The Heart of Commerce™, to represent our strategic vision of advancing commerce globally.
Our marketing activities combine advertising, sponsorships, promotions, customer marketing, interactive media
and public relations as part of an integrated program designed to increase consumer awareness of MasterCard
and usage of MasterCard cards. We also seek to tailor our global marketing messages by customizing them in
individual countries, while maintaining a common global theme. Our initiatives are designed to build the value of
the MasterCard brand.
Our advertising plays an important role in building brand visibility, usage and loyalty among cardholders
globally. Our award-winning “Priceless®” advertising campaign has run in 51 languages in 110 countries. The
“Priceless” campaign promotes MasterCard acceptance and usage benefits that permit cardholders to pay for
what they need, when they need it. It also provides MasterCard with a consistent, recognizable message that
supports our brand positioning. In order to promote usage of our cards, we conduct frequent promotions on a
regional and national basis, often in conjunction with merchants or our customers. To engage consumers directly
and advance our presence in new digital media, we launched Priceless.com in the United States in 2006, and we
continue to roll out the website in key markets. Priceless.com is one of MasterCard’s websites which allow
consumers to engage directly in brand programs, promotions and merchant offers, and provides relevant
information on MasterCard cards and services.
We also seek to drive business for our customers by sponsoring a variety of sporting and entertainment
properties. In particular, MasterCard has a significant presence in sports, which we believe has broad appeal
among consumers. We have worldwide partnerships with well-regarded golf events such as the Senior British
Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and both the PGA TOUR and European Tour, which are intended to help
create business building opportunities among a more affluent demographic. We have a long-standing relationship
with international soccer and have continued this relationship by sponsoring leading events, including the Union
of European Football Associations (“UEFA”) European Championship and the UEFA Champions League in
Europe, as well as the South American Qualifiers. MasterCard is also the exclusive payments sponsor to Major
League Baseball and the majority of its professional teams. We also sponsor a number of individual National
Football League teams. In professional tennis, MasterCard made its debut in 2008 as a sponsor of the Australian
Open, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, and continued this sponsorship in 2009. One of our most recent
sponsorship alliances is in the sport of rugby, in which MasterCard in 2008 became a worldwide partner of the
International Rugby Board (IRB) World Cup 2011.
We seek to sponsor diverse events aimed at multiple target audiences, including a sponsorship platform in
fashion, originally launched in our Asia Pacific region, with the intention of raising our brand awareness with
affluent consumers. We also target a broad audience by providing access to music artists and live performances
through well-known entertainment properties such as Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, Soundstage and the
Brit Awards. In 2008, MasterCard also added the GRAMMY awards to its roster of entertainment sponsorships.
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