MasterCard has taken full advantage of rugby’s affluent and upscale demographic, according to a company exec. The electronic payment provider is one of six top-tier worldwide partners of this year’s Rugby World Cup in England, which will end on Saturday. The company has made net gains since the start of the tournament, which has reaffirmed its financial commitment, said Michael Robichaud, SVP/Group Head Global Sponsorships at MasterCard. Compliance rules prohibit Robichaud from disclosing specifics, but he said the company “is very pleased” with the increases it has seen. MasterCard’s activation throughout the six-week tournament consisted of a takeover of London’s Tube stations along with exclusive offers and surprise gifts for cardholders. The company’s campaign theme of “Turning the World Oval” also featured some of its other sports properties and athletes such as Ian Poulter. The English golfer hit some balls with the captain of England’s rugby squad, Chris Robshaw. However, there was a twist: they had to play with rugby-shaped balls. “We are spending way more on activation then on rights,” Robichaud said. Tracking data and payment information is another benefit of being the official payment provider. MasterCard is especially interested in its in-venue share and cross-border share of payments. “We know everything about all the transactions that happen on our network, on our cards,” Robichaud said. “What we don’t know is who the cardholder is. We just see numbers.”
Michael Robichaud
GLOBAL APPROACH: England’s failure to advance from the group stage had “no real” impact on MasterCard. The Rugby World Cup is a global event and that is how the payment provider treated it. Robichaud pointed to the tournament’s high TV ratings in major markets around the world as well as packed stadiums as an indication of its global appeal. MasterCard’s affiliation with the Rugby World Cup is one of its biggest global sports sponsorships. The other one is the UEFA Champions League. “They are certainly the two biggest in terms of geographical reach,” Robichaud said. “Rugby is a very popular sport in some key countries, but certainly not as big and global as football.” MasterCard has already been in talks to continue its partnership with World Rugby through ’19, when Japan will host the World Cup. “[The RWC] really touches on a lot of things that are important factors to MasterCard such as cross-border spending and travel,” Robichaud said. He acknowledged that while the Japanese market is very different from the U.K. market it is no less important for the brand. And just like this year the Rugby World Cup will again be the largest sporting event in ’19.
