MasterCard Worldwide, Major League Baseball Properties (MLB) and Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) today announced the launch of “MasterCard Presents MLB® Dreams,” a program that offers cardholders in the U.S. the chance to win a dream-filled week with their favorite MLB team during the 2008 regular season. The week will be comprised of exclusive experiences that may include special access to home and away games, batting practice, VIP seating, and meet-and-greets with MLB legends. MasterCard is the preferred card of MLB and has sponsorship alliances with 17 MLB teams.
“Major League Baseball has been with us since the inception of the Priceless® campaign in 1997 when the first-ever Priceless television spot debuted, highlighting the relationship between father and son as they attended a baseball game,” said Amy Fuller, Group Executive, Americas Marketing for MasterCard Worldwide. “Together with our partner, we’ve brought to market highly-engaging and compelling programs throughout our relationship. Ten years later, we continue this tradition of tapping into baseball fans’ passion for the game and their favorite teams and look to make their dreams come true while creating new memories to last a lifetime.”
“The MasterCard Presents MLB Dreams program is a natural extension of the partnership: these two brands have built a tremendous fan opportunity,” said John Brody, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales and Marketing, Major League Baseball. “Offering our fans the ability to fulfill their Major League Baseball dreams is a unique way to reward their love for our great game.”
Ways to Enter: Card Usage & Online Registration
When U.S. cardholders use their MasterCard cards from July 1 to September 30, 2007, for U.S. based purchases or enter on-line, they will be automatically entered for a chance to win the “Week of Your Dreams” promotion. Cardholders will also receive double sweepstakes entries for MasterCard®PayPass™ tap transactions and for MasterCard purchases made with any Bank of America MLB team affinity card.
Keep Dreaming Online
On July 9, MasterCard and MLB.com will launch an MLB Dreams-themed website featuring FOX Sports broadcaster Joe Buck. Visitors are encouraged to piece together team-specific video and record an accompanying voice over via phone about their favorite MLB team for a chance to win a trip to a 2007 MLB World Series game with three friends, accompanied by Buck himself. For more information, visit priceless.com.
The creator of the video submission that receives the most votes each week will walk away with the Finalist Prize: a signed MLB Authentic Collection jersey from their favorite team. Plus, they can view and vote for their favorite videos submitted by other fans for chances to win exciting Major League Baseball prizes.
“This unique program provides us an exciting opportunity to contribute a variety of technological assets in support of our partner MasterCard,” said Noah Garden, Executive Vice President, Commerce and Sponsorship, MLB Advanced Media. “Additionally, we are thrilled to supply millions of enthusiastic baseball fans with a dynamic online vehicle for creatively demonstrating their loyalty to their favorite Major League Baseball team.”
MasterCard is supporting the promotion with a fully-integrated marketing campaign anchored by a 30-second Priceless® television execution entitled “Living Your Dream” that will debut nationally July 2, and air through September 15 in the brand’s general rotation as well and on U.S.-based Hispanic media in Spanish. In addition, the promotion is being leveraged in markets outside of the U.S. including Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Additional support includes: 30 million issuer-driven impressions delivered via cardholder statement inserts, in-branch signage and ATM messaging from 133 participating issuers, print advertising, online banners, in-stadium promotions and VIP cardholder events at select MLB stadiums. The brand will also roll-out a vivid out-of-home campaign in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta, that will include team-themed bus wraps as well as a visceral treatment of select bus/train stations and transportation hubs. “MasterCard Presents MLB Dreams” will launch at the 2007 MLB All-Star Week events in San Francisco.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Starts 7/1/07. Restrictions apply. I Would Be A… entry ends 9/23/07. Voting ends 9/30/07. (1) Grand Prize winner selected from (12) Finalists. Week of Your Dreams entry ends 9/30/07. PIN-based & international transactions ineligible. Prize options vary & are customized per team. Components subject to approval & availability. Other restrictions apply. Max. prize value: $57,500/ea. The $50 MLB.com Shop Gift Code which may be used toward officially-licensed MLB merchandise. Call 1 (800) MC ASSIST or visit www.priceless.com for Official Rules & complete details.
MasterCard and Major League Baseball
MasterCard has been an official sponsor of Major League Baseball since 1997 and is the preferred card of MLB and MLB Advanced Media. MasterCard also maintains sponsorship alliances with 17 MLB teams: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland A's, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners.
About MasterCard Worldwide
MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 16 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. Through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to http://www.mastercard.com.
About Major League Baseball Properties
The Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Club’s agent for marketing and trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations, growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction with Clubs, broadcast rightsholders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit (Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the All-Star Game and World Series as well as all other special events. For more information about Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.
About MLB Advanced Media, LP
Established in June 2000 following a unanimous vote by the 30 Major League Baseball Club owners to centralize all of Baseball’s Internet operations, MLB Advanced Media LP (MLBAM) is the interactive media and internet company of Major League Baseball. MLBAM manages the official league site, www.MLB.com, and each of the 30 individual Club sites to create the most comprehensive Major League Baseball resource on the Internet. MLB.com offers fans the most complete baseball information on the web, including up-to-date statistics, game summaries, extensive historical information, and exclusive features about Major League Baseball events and programs, including on-line ticket sales, baseball merchandise, authenticated memorabilia and collectibles, fantasy games, live and archived radio broadcasts of every game, live and archived video webcasts of entire games, pitch-by-pitch enactment of games, and hosted post-game video highlight shows.
Contacts:
Jon Schwartz, 914-249-6806
jon_schwartz@mastercard.com
or
Major
League Baseball
Kerry M. Kielar, 212-931-7949
kerry.kielar@mlb.com
or
Taylor
Bryan
Kirsch, 212-714-1280
bkirsch@taylorpr.com
