New Yorkers have more options for entertainment, not to mention banks and credit cards, than any other city in the world. With Private Pass, Citi wanted to create unique value propositions through live entertainment partnerships that go way beyond the “one-and-done” strategy that many of its competitors apply to gain quick access to the hottest tours.

This allowed Citi to be a part of iconic TV series (in October 2015, Citi became the presenting sponsor of the concert series on NBC, the highest-rated morning program in America), and make some history in the process. Its three-year (and counting) program with Madison Square Garden’s Billy Joel Franchise has broken records for most performances and most sellouts (36 and counting since 2014) at the iconic New York venue.

Culinary became a bigger vertical for Citi, too, with major-market events for charity partners Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry throughout 2015.

Implementation: Citi and MAC designed exclusive cardmember events on a consistent basis that tapped into people’s passions (music, sports, culinary), surrounding them with cardmember benefits and amplifying them with custom content.

Timeline: Citi wanted to host events year round to keep engagement high among Citi customers, and to always look for new ways to engage and capture new customers.

Placement: Citi leveraged its new multi-year sponsorship of NBC’s “Today,” bought full-page ads in the Sunday New York Times, sent out email blasts to over 50 million cardmembers and leveraged other owned assets to promote its programs.

Scale: Citi sponsored more than 11,000 live events in 2015 alone, and worked with more than 1,400 artists. Its title sponsorship of the Citi Concert Series on NBC’s “Today” was watched by an average of 4.62 million viewers every time it aired in fourth-quarter 2015, including 1.79 million in the coveted 25-to-54-year-old demo.

Citi Private Pass made highly aspirational events like meet-and-greets, card member lounges and pre-sale access to hot-ticket concerts attainable — more than 1,400 artists worked with Citi in 2015 alone, increasing card spend on entertainment 11% year-over-year. Citi pre-sales expanded to 11 countries for the first time in 2015, establishing a global footprint that will make the brand even more competitive in the touring marketplace going forward.