May 1, 2004 12:00 PM, Lorin Cipolla

For the first time in its history, MasterCard teamed up with a major motion picture property for its 2003 holiday campaign. With the Universal Studios release of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, MasterCard was able to leverage its “Priceless” brand campaign with consumers, card issuers and merchants.

“Everybody knows about our priceless campaign and we were looking for a way to translate that into a promotion,” says Cheryl Guerin, VP-relationship marketing for MasterCard. “The Cat in the Hat gave us a couple of really good opportunities to create something priceless.”

Guerin points out that Dr. Seuss resonates with cardholders who spent their childhoods reading his books and are now reading them to their own children. The nostalgia of Dr. Seuss and his characters generated attention on all fronts. “We've always been concerned about taking on a film property that may overshadow our own brand,” she says. “We wanted to make sure our promotion and our advertising was not only about the Cat, but rather using the Cat as an enabler to drive and create usage.”

To target consumers, MasterCard and Denver-based Integer Group created the “MasterCard Holiday Trip-A-Day Giveaway” sweepstakes to encourage increased usage of credit and debit cards. A total of 61 trips were awarded each day of the promotion, a prize structure that supported MasterCard's frequency strategy.

“It is a bit of a quandary for every marketer to stand out through the noise and clutter of the holidays — it takes a lot to break through on an emotional level and feel good about that interaction,” Guerin explains.

An integrated national media campaign supported the sweeps during the holiday season, complete with TV spots created by McCann-Erickson, signage in movie theaters and on 11,188 screens, radio spots, print ads, banners on mastercard.com and exposure via mall kiosks.

Card issuers played a big part in the promotion by distributing statement inserts, postcards, posters, buttons, take-one displays, window clings and tent cards. Bank statements, ATMs and outer envelope messaging also featured the colorful Dr. Seuss characters.

Under the national promotion umbrella, retail programs were developed for RadioShack, the U.S. Postal Service, Blockbuster, Loews, BJ's and Universal Studios that enticed consumers to use their MasterCard for free movie tickets, merchandise discounts, coupons and other freebies.

As a result of the motion picture tie-in, MasterCard generated positive consumer response in both qualitative and quantitative research. The amount of consumer spending made with a MasterCard credit or debit product increased by 14% over 2002; 243 card issuers participated in the promotion — a 25% increase from the 2002 promotion and the highest-ever participation for a MasterCard holiday promotion. Statement inserts were distributed to 43.1 million card holders, and six out of seven of MasterCard's Global Key Accounts participated, with the top three banks developing unique promotional programs of their own.

“The Cat did help us stand out better in the fourth quarter because it is attention-getting and it brings you in,” Guerin says. “Between the Cat and our ‘Priceless’ equity, we made a story for the consumer that really stood out.”

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