Dive Brief:
- Mastercard partnered with producer Niclas Molinder and Swedish singer Nadine Randle on a full-length pop single that features its audio branding, the company said in a press release. Randle performed the track Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas during an event hosted by Mastercard and iHeartRadio.
- "Merry Go Round" is available on the Radio.com app and YouTube and will soon be on streaming platforms. This is the first single in what Mastercard plans to be a full sonic-integrated album titled "Priceless," slated to drop this year.
- The album builds on Mastercard's move last year to create a sonic identity anchored by the melody that plays when people use their card to make purchases. Mastercard will work this year with Molinder and undisclosed artists from various musical genres on additional songs featuring its auditory experience.
Dive Insight:
After dropping its name from its logo last year, Mastercard worked to reimagine the meaning of brand-building well beyond the confines of traditional marketing. The company's new initiative and original album aims to turn itself into a multisensory brand associated with quality experiences that are made possible through the use of its credit cards.
Mastercard has been on a mission to deliver memorable customer experiences through both sound and taste, including custom macarons and a restaurant. The company worked with French confectioner Ladurée on two macaron flavors — red and yellow circles — during The New York Times Food Festival in October to extend Mastercard's positioning around enabling culinary experiences.
During last year's Grammy Awards, the card network highlighted its new sonic branding with a performance by Camila Cabello. Mastercard revealed that its classic melody is now part of more than 7.6 million payment points globally. Some 77% of consumers reported that sound makes them trust the purchase environment more than those without sound, per research from Mastercard and GfK Global.
In this latest full-album effort, Mastercard is looking to further penetrate the sound world.
"Sound is our next frontier for brand expression and a powerful way for us to reach consumers through the passions that connect us all," Chief Marketing Officer Raja Rajamannar said in the release. "We're thrilled to be partnering with Nadine on 'Merry Go Round' to integrate the recognizable sonic melody — underscoring the many ways that the branding can be used beyond traditional means."
