1 minute read
Brand and Problem
The Problem
Priceless emphasizes a world of payments based on experiences and has been Mastercard’s seminal message for over 20 years. The message helped the world understand that a card was less a facilitator of financial transactions, and more a ticket for consumers to enrich their lives. This iconic campaign has endured over two decades, and remains as the ethos of the Mastercard brand.
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The Brand
Mastercard and its competitors recognize the major shift taking place in the personal payment space. The adoption of contactless daily transactions has occurred quickly in other countries. The United States is slower to adopt, but a majority of consumers are expected to use digital wallets and incorporate contactless payments by 2020. Leading up to this shift, it is crucial for Mastercard to establish a dominant presence, not only as a card company, but as the brand consumers look to as they begin to navigate this new digital space.
1966 Interbank is Founded
Mastercard is launched by several regional banks to form the Interbank Card Association (ICA), in response to the creation of Bank of America’s BankAmericard. In 1969, the name was changed to “Master Charge.”
1979 Mastercard is renamed and current brand is launched
The “Master Charge” is renamed as MasterCard. 1997 Mastercard releases first “Priceless” advertising campaign
The Priceless campaign is launched, winning various awards for its advertising efforts.
2006 Mastercard executes an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange
Mastercard raises $2.4 billion in shares and grows more than 14 percent from the initial $39 value. After going public, Mastercard transitioned to Mastercard Worldwide, with a new name and logo. 2012 Mastercard announces its first contactless payment program
Mastercard announced the expansion of their mobile contactless payment program in international markets.
2016 Mastercard introduced their new re-branding and corporate logo. They changed their service name from “MasterCard” to “Mastercard.” Mastercard chose to rename their brand to include a lowercase “c,” reflecting the transformation into the digital payment space.
