MasterCard International: Priceless campaign

Rebecca Stanfel

In reply to competition from Visa and American Express, MasterCard and McCann-Erickson advertising agency created the “Priceless” campaign in October 1997.

MasterCard International: Priceless campaign

Rebecca Stanfel

OVERVIEW

In 1997 MasterCard International, the largest subsidiary of the credit card company MasterCard Incorporated, was reeling from years of unfocused campaign strategies. The industry leader, Visa International, posted sales of $1.65 billion in 1996, nearly double MasterCard's posted sales. In a saturated credit card market where companies jostled to find a place in consumers' wallets, it was essential for MasterCard to forge a powerful brand image that would bring new customers to MasterCard and convince current cardholders to use their MasterCards more often. "The bottom line is that we want people to like...

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