Background

Mastercard partnered with MRT Jakarta to transform Senayan station into an immersive brand experience, leveraging Sonic branding and lifestyle visuals to elevate brand awareness. The goal was to create a meaningful emotional connection with commuters while reinforcing Mastercard’s "Priceless" positioning in an innovative way.

Challenge

Mastercard faced significant challenges:

• Technical Barriers: Sonic branding at the fare gates was not feasible due to infrastructure limitations.

• Crowded Branding: As the seventh brand to acquire MRT station naming rights, Mastercard needed to differentiate itself from prior station brand activations.

• Commuter Fatigue: Repetitive station advertising left commuters desensitized, requiring a fresh and engaging approach.

Creative Solution

Mastercard overcame these hurdles with a multi-sensory campaign:

• Sonic Branding as a Creative Device: Mastercard integrated its Sonic branding into station announcements, ensuring a memorable auditory experience that aligned with commuter routines and brought its signature sound to life.

• Lifestyle Visuals: Dynamic, eye-catching visuals across the station depicted Mastercard’s role in enhancing daily experiences, reflecting the "Priceless" ethos in a relatable, urban context.

• Multi-Sensory Engagement: By combining Sonic branding with engaging lifestyle visuals, Mastercard turned the station into a fully immersive brand environment, delivering a seamless audio-visual experience.

• Digital Amplification: TikTok played a crucial role in extending the campaign’s reach, with commuters sharing organic content, turning the station into a social media sensation.

Impact

The campaign delivered impactful results:

• Brand Awareness: Mastercard saw a notable increase in brand perception as a leader in mobile payments (from 16% to 22%) and a fast & easy way to pay (from 24% to 34%) in just one quarter.

• Viral Engagement: The "Senayan Mastercard dance" became a viral hit on TikTok, generating over 7,000 pieces of organic content and 232 million views, further deepening emotional connections.

• Memorable Brand Experience: The innovative use of Sonic branding and visuals created a stand-out experience, outperforming traditional out-of-home advertising.

Mastercard’s collaboration with MRT Jakarta set a new standard for urban branding, proving that creative, sensory-driven experiences can forge deeper consumer connections in even the busiest environments.