MasterCard spearheads its BRIT Awards sponsorship activation by offering music fans the chance to duet with their idols through its ‘Something For The Fans’ initiative.
2012 marks MasterCard’s 14th year of partnership with The BRIT Awards – which itself is in its 32nd year.
The ‘Priceless Duet’ campaign sees cardholders get the chance to sing with their favourite acts – from JLS to Emeli Sande and Labrinth – and then have their duet aired in a MasterCard TV ad during the awards ceremony.
A campaign-specific microsite at www.somethingforthefans.co.uk provides fans with the opportunity to register and upload their audition videos, as well as the opportunity to win one of hundreds of pairs of tickets to The BRIT Awards.
Initially promoted from 10 January online through both MasterCard’s own social media channels and those of the participating artists, the campaign has subsequently been pushed through TV, print and other digital platforms. Large scale proximity advertising supporting the campaign will also be on display on the night of the Awards around The O2 Arena.
The winning Priceless Duets will feature in the advertising breaks of The BRIT Awards with MasterCard ceremony, broadcast on ITV1 on 21 February 2012.
‘Priceless Duets gives music fans the opportunity to meet and perform with top British music talent, plus have it aired on national TV, which we believe is truly priceless,’ explains Shaun Springer, head of brand and sponsorship at MasterCard UK & Ireland
‘Social media engagement will be an important channel for this campaign and we will be maximising both our own channels and those of participating artists and their fans to engage and excite consumers around the competition and really give something back to the fans.’
MasterCard is also working with online, high-definition music video business Vevo on a programme that will see it host videos from the nominations last night as well as performances from the event.
Indeed, in the run-up to the ceremony itself MasterCard is running pre-roll ads against videos from all the nominees on the Vevo site. Live performances from the awards and exclusive backstage interviews will be uploaded onto Vevo on the awards night itself.
MasterCard has also linked with Noise Inc to develop the BRITs first iPhone app which will allow fans to vote directly for the public voted-for categories through their phones. The BRIT Awards App will also offer chances to win tickets, and provide fans with news updates directly from the Awards and the ability to purchase performance audio from the night of the Awards.
The BRIT (British Record Industry Trust) Awards is organised by the BPI – the British recorded music industry association – which has over 400 record company members large and small who between them account for in excess of 90% of UK recorded music sales.
Its flagship annual awards ceremony is one of the highlights of the world’s music calendar and last year saw a reboot of its format with the event moving to London’s O2.
This year’s BRITs sees BritPop titans Blur receive an outstanding contribution to music award, while nominees for the 2012 event include Laura Marling, Ed Sheeran and Bon Iver. Filled with live acts and special appearances, this year’s ceremony will be presented by actor/writer/comedian James Corden.
Comment:
Something for the Fans builds on previous MasterCard fan engagement campaigns, including the 2011 campaign which saw fans win priceless memorabilia from BRIT Award- winning artists including Tinie Tempah and Kasabian.
The duets concept certainly fits with MasterCard’s umbrella consumer promise to provide its customers with access to experiences and services that are ‘priceless’.
This BRITs work operates in parallel to the payment sector brand’s ‘Priceless London’ programme, This was launched in September and is a locally-focused reboot of MasterCard’s existing, long-running ‘Priceless’ umbrella marcoms big idea.
“MasterCard is evolving from a brand that celebrates ‘Priceless’ moments, to one that enables ‘Priceless’ experiences, thereby bringing additional benefits to choosing to use MasterCard and building further emotional engagement with consumers,” outlines Springer.
This is an initiative dedicated to bringing consumers closer to their passions. By registering at www.pricelesslondon.co.uk MasterCard cardholders can enjoy exclusive experiences and privileged access to the very best of London’s museums, theatres, music, restaurants, retail and attractions (and, of course, to The BRITs themselves.
Priceless London also operates as something of a counter to rival Visa’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Links:
www.somethingforthefans.co.uk/
www.mastercard.co.uk/brit-awards.html
www.mastercard.co.uk/priceless-cities/london/index.html
Brit Awards BPI MasterCard Sponsorship Press Release
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.