MasterCard has always had good advertising, in the last two decades we have really seen them perfect their branding and go from just another credit card company to something (someone) that will be there for you.  They have taken emense strides to change how they’re seen, adding the friendship dynamic to replace that of a company.  Personifying what they do into understanding what each and everyone goes through when they budget, including and acknowledging the self-delusional “that was worth it moment” we have all experience, in their “Priceless” ads.

Perhaps one of the most well known commercial series to hit print, television and radio media in the last two decades, the “Priceless” Campaign was MasterCard’s gold star. There were, maybe 150+ of these (a light guess) that hit various forms of media from 1997 on till 2006. The first one was debuted during the 1997 world series. Since MasterCard have always been, and still are a large supporter of sports, it would only make sense to debut their new campaign at one of the most watched/attended events in the late 90′s.

See what they did there; they took an American institution, Baseball, combined it with another, family, and easy as that they’re in your hearts.  Well, to be specific, the firm McCann Erikson, now known as McCann Worlwide are the ones who created and produced the idea into that commercial and every ad since. It is as if they got together in a large brainstorming session and targeted specific common situations that could be or had been experienced by the everyday person, embellished upon them a bit, then created an ad just for those situations.  Above we have family, below, friends and personal:

quirky/left field ….

…and even the The Simpsons in pop culture:

All told the campaign last 9 years, and was emulated and just outright copied by so many people, MasterCard even took Ralph Nader to court for four years for using the same formula in his political ads. Nader may have won the legal battle but MasterCard won the war, so to speak, leaving with a campaign that served them very well and acted as a springboard to how they are see by you, now. The friendly companion.

This is one of the last ads in the series, created specifically for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, also one of my personal favourites.

Image Source: Sports Digest New York

Video Source: Youtube