How Live Music Became ‘Priceless’ for Mastercard’s Marketing Strategy
Mastercard and Live Nation bring exclusive live music benefits to millions of cardholders in 19 markets across the UK, Europe, and Asia.
Through priceless.com, cardholders have exclusive access to presale tickets, premium seats, and VIP experiences. The partnership also supports the Priceless Planet Coalition.
To kick off our international partnership, Live Nation’s Global President Russell Wallach sat down with Mastercard’s CMO Raja Rajamannar to discuss the shift into prioritizing priceless experiences, Mastercard’s innovative “passions strategy,” and why live music rose to the top.
Russell Wallach (RW): Mastercard has taken a notable step into music in recent years, ranging from your sponsorships with the GRAMMY Awards and Brit Awards to the release of your first-ever album “Priceless” and the launch of the Artist Accelerator Program. Now, with our partnership, Mastercard will bring cardholders closer to their favorite artists across 19 countries. What inspired you to make live music a priority in your global marketing strategy?
Raja Rajamannar (RR): At Mastercard, we’re constantly seeking new ways to enrich our cardholders’ lives – taking every chance we get to help people get closer to their passions. In today’s noisy, cluttered world, that ability to deliver unique experiences that really matter to people is how brands break through. That’s at the center of our passions strategy, focused on creating exciting experiences around ten passion points, from sports to music, shopping to culinary.
Music is a truly universal passion, with an astounding 97% of concertgoers agreeing that there is something magical and infinitely memorable about experiencing music with others. With Live Nation, we’re providing eligible cardholders in the Asia-Pacific, UK and Europe with priority access to concert presale tickets, not to mention premium seats and unforgettable VIP experiences. Creating exciting experiences around a passion like music enables us to bring our cardholders closer to the things they love, thereby increasing affinity towards the brand.
RW: Iconic from its inception, the Mastercard Priceless platform became an instant hit with consumers and shifted the focus to priceless experiences. How has the Priceless platform evolved over its 20-year history, and how do live music experiences contribute to its ongoing success?
RR: Priceless was built on a timeless truth that is more relevant today than ever before: experiences matter more than things. We’ve transformed the Priceless ad campaign into a long-lasting, multi-dimensional marketing platform that reflects the changing world around us. We went from celebrating priceless moments to curating priceless moments to sparking priceless movements, actively connecting people to their passions and to each other.
RW: Kicking off this month, our partnership will offer exclusive live music benefits to Mastercard cardholders across the UK, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Tell us why live music experiences are the perfect launchpad for your brand to make a global impact.
RR: This year, we’ve seen how concerts have morphed into entire cultural movements, generating hysteria around creating the best concert experience, getting the best seat – even having a ticket to the show! Through our partnership with Live Nation, we’ll be able to connect millions of music lovers with some of the world’s biggest performers of our generation—and with each other. Music unites us like nothing else.
of concertgoers agreeing that there is something magical and infinitely memorable about experiencing music with others
RW: Through our partnership, we’re not only connecting cardholders with their passion for live music but also supporting their commitment to sustainability. How does Mastercard approach sustainability and leverage partners like us to help reach your goals?
RR: While music is one major passion point for consumers, we know that caring for our environment is another. We founded the Priceless Planet Coalition with Conservation International and World Resources Institute with the goal of restoring 100 million trees with the help of countless partners, cardholders and others around the world. Restoration focuses on the places that can deliver the greatest impact on the climate, communities and biodiversity. Through our collaboration with Live Nation, when a concert ticket is purchased through a Mastercard presale event, cardholders will be able to make a donation to help restore a tree. Together, these small actions can make a big difference.
