FIFA's decision to move the Women's World Cup from China to the United States because of the SARS epidemic enabled MasterCard, the presenting sponsor of the event, to beef up its activation plans in the United States.
The credit-card company, which claims soccer as its largest global sponsorship platform, was already planning programs with retail and grocery-store-chain partners in the United States and Canada before the site of the World Cup was changed. Now the company has added ticket promotions and sweepstakes to its U.S. marketing plans.
During the last three years, MasterCard and its worldwide banking and merchant partners collectively have spent $200 million on soccer, MasterCard officials said. MasterCard has been a sponsor of FIFA since 1990.
Its involvement as presenting sponsor of this year's Women's World Cup is part of a renewal signed after the 2002 World Cup that runs through the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Financial details of the renewal were not disclosed.
"We were disappointed that the venue was changed because China is an important market for MasterCard, but on the flip side we're very happy to have it back in the U.S.," said Geraldine Cooper, vice president of global sponsorships for MasterCard.
MasterCard had not begun any specific plans in China before the event was moved.
Before FIFA's decision to move the Women's World Cup, MasterCard's North American activation plans centered on usage programs with Loblaw's, a Canadian grocery store chain, and with TJ Maxx stores in the United States. The Loblaw's program began late last month, while the TJ Maxx program is scheduled to begin Sunday.
In both programs, customers using MasterCard are automatically entered to win a grand prize — a trip to the final game of the 2003 Women's World Cup for the Loblaw's program, and a soccer clinic with Kristine Lilly for the TJ Maxx program.
Since the switch in venues, MasterCard has decided to run a regional in-store usage sweepstakes with Shop-Rite grocery stores and has decided to tie additional sweepstakes prizes to the purchase of Women's World Cup tickets.
Many of the prizes are in keeping with the company's "Priceless" campaign and give MasterCard users the opportunity to win "priceless" soccer prizes.
