New campaign: MasterCard

Marketing, Thursday, 01 June 2006, 12:00am,

MasterCard is launching a £1.5m poster campaign on 1 June to promote its sponsorship of the World Cup. The activity taps into a rise in public support for making St George's Day a more prominent celebration. Its tongue-in-cheek proposal suggests that the national day for England's patron saint should be moved to the date of the World Cup final. The posters will run in five major English cities, positioned in sites en route to major pub venues, including London's Centre Point. This year will be MasterCard's last as an official FIFA World Cup sponsor, after credit-card rival Visa signed a £150m eight-year deal for the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. MasterCard will retain its links with international football through sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League.