MasterCard has been looking for a partner with mass appeal.
It found it in Placido Domingo, one of the most loved and listened to opera singers of the 20th Century. He is also an ideal fit with the upscale consumer MasterCard wants to cultivate.
The two are set to cast off on a world tour that will take them to far off places like Abu Dhabi and Zurich, as well as Sunrise, FL, and Boston, where a event next month will kick off the start of the 40-city tour.
The tour will span two years, with MasterCard, as the presenting sponsor, hosting hospitality suites for select customers at venues and posting advertising on site. Cardholders will also be offered the opportunity to buy advance tickets in “priceless” VIP packages for the U.S. venues, including dinner with Domingo.
“As we look forward with our sponsorship review process, our strategy is increasingly to look for global partners who have mass appeal,” said Deborah Hughes, group head of global sponsorships for MasterCard Worldwide. “You don’t often have an opportunity to do this with an affluent audience and Maestro Domingo fits right in.”
MasterCard has been strategizing over sponsorships for various entertainment platforms for the past six months, with particular attention to establishing relationships with high profile musical artists who reach a diverse audience, she said.
“We are seriously entering the world of entertainment,” Hughes said. “Entertainment is such a big area, and what we’ve found is there’s no silver bullet.”
Domingo appeals to an older, higher-end affluent audience, the kind who fits the profile for MasterCard’s World Elite card, aimed at households with $250,000 in annual income who can gain access to pre-sale concert tickets and special events with the card, she said.
MasterCard plans another major musical sponsorship deal, but the details are still underwraps.
In another entertainment genre, MasterCard is plugging its PayPass product with a placement in “The Bourne Ultimatum,” and has launched a Web site featuring behind-the-scenes clips from the movie and a find-Jason Bourne game.
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