MasterCard’s Priceless Contest

Back in 2000 when .com television spots led the charge during the Super Bowl, the advertisers attempted to use clever tactics and competitive advantages to steer consumers to the websites that they were advertising for. Blowing two million dollars on a thirty second spot was a chance for those created by the hype to hit the big time. With the internet being a relatively new avenue for commerce, this may have worked for few advertisers, but now everyone, and there grandmother, has a .com website.

In today’s market there needs to be more of a draw to bring someone to your website and advertisers are stepping up the ante after more and more people see the advantages of using the internet as an interactive marketing tool. The two commercials that MasterCard ran during the 2006 Oscars urged people to write their own Priceless commentary for a MasterCard commercial. Sending viewers to their website priceless.com, MasterCard setup an avenue for establishing a relationship with the viewer to look for upcoming commercials, whether it be to see a winner, or possible their own commercial.

Using the Academy Awards as the launching point for this ad campaign was a prime choice for MasterCard to start this Priceless promotion. Gearing the ad to those who are enthralled by the Hollywood persona would brag to their co-workers, family, and friends if they have a commercial airing on TV. MasterCard’s Priceless promotion is a look into the future of how advertisers are going to use forms of interruption media and transform those views into measurable hits on the Internet’s interactive arena.

*See the MasterCard commercials here.