Priceless

In Brazil, people have developed their own interpretations of what it means for an experience to be “Priceless,” independent of MasterCard’s landmark campaign. Many personal expressions of moments so special one cannot put a price tag on them were already populating the Internet in video and blog-posting form.

MasterCard could not ignore the opportunity to marry the pre-existing affinity for this concept to a whole new level of affection for the credit card brand. Brazilians are the most active social networkers in the world: 76% percent have an online profile and 56% manage their profiles daily.

MasterCard’s goal was to move its “Priceless” concept forward using user-generated content (UGC) and social networking capabilities. It launched a central site (www.naotempreco.com.br) inviting Brazilians to share real events from their lives. The winning submissions were taken on as TV spots, with many others used on cable TV, magazines, newspapers and online.

MasterCard teamed with the SBT variety show “Domingo Legal”—the most popular Sunday TV program in Brazil—to feature viewers’ “Priceless” moments. One-minute “Priceless” segments were showcased on AXN and Sony cable channels, which offer the highest penetration for MasterCard’s upscale target audience. Viral networks, search engines and social networks were also engaged.

This was the first time any financial services company in Brazil had ever attempted to use UGC in a marketing initiative. Some 63,000 “Priceless” ideas were submitted via www.naotempreco.com.br. The site had 36 million page views.