Hasta La Creative!

When a brand like MasterCard, blessed with a legendary ad campaign wants to do a promotion, it better be good. By good, I mean something other than a trip to Disney World.

Thankfully, MasterCard, with the help of McCann Erickson, has found a way to elevate the form with its new “Search” promotion. Sealed envelopes will be placed in April issues of Condé Nast books. Three of these envelopes will be grand prize winners.

The grand prizes include – a commissioned portrait by famed artist and Academy Award-nominated director Julian Schnabel; a trip to Paris to dine with renowned chef David Bouley; and a trip to the Seven Wonders of the World.

a Schnabel portrait

According to Fin Channel, Architectural Digest, The New Yorker, Vogue and Sotheby’s Preview will feature the art prize campaign. Bon Appétit, Domino and Gourmet will feature the culinary prize campaign; and GQ, Condé Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair and Wired will feature the travel prize campaign.

MasterCard has created a series of creative vignettes appearing on priceless.com/search depicting the experiences.

The campaign will also have TV support. Barbara Lippert of Adweek notes, “How appropriate that this new MasterCard campaign is breaking on the Oscars telecast, since it brings new meaning to the phrase, ‘The envelope, please.'”