How Mastercard cracked one of the toughest markets in Asia

With an average of less than 2 transactions a month per cardholder, Mastercard had to (1) drive card usage and (2) build brand awareness in Vietnam where cash is king and competition tough.

Restricted by government regulations, Mastercard had to adhere to strict advertising and marketing guidelines. This meant that it could not run any on-ground advertising. What’s more, because it operates on a B2B2C model, Mastercard did not have any direct contact with its customers—only the banks had.

The solution? Digital. But with no online presence, Mastercard had to find a way to engage and connect with its audience meaningfully, from scratch.

To first engage its users, Mastercard had to spark interest. It did this by building its Facebook page from scratch and inviting users to share their goal celebrations for a chance to see their kids escort a UEFA Champions League player onto the pitch at the Chelsea vs Paris St-Germain match. Facebook posts, display ads on desktop and mobile, as well as a video were created.

Once interest was heightened and engagement at its peak, MasterCard went on to drive card usage, where 10 swipes gave cardholders a chance to win a trip to Milan to watch the UEFA Champions League Final live. It did this by creating a microsite and building its own CRM platform—where every swipe of the card would trigger automated EDMs to be sent to cardholders to inform them of their progress and the rewards they could enjoy.