Technology and creativity key to MasterCard Spikes tie-up

Spikes Asia, the region’s biggest festival of creativity, returns next week with three days of cutting-edge innovation and creativity in marketing. And the event’s headline partner, MasterCard is putting together an action-packed three days.  

For MasterCard, the partnership with Spikes gives it a platform to engage with business partners and an opportunity to showcase its innovations in technology. This includes the MasterCard Identify Check, a new payment innovation that allows users to authenticate payments biometrically via a selfie or a thumbprint, rather than a password. 

The company is also going to promote its ‘Digital and ecommerce engine’, a concept that evolved from a desire to use the mass data available to MasterCard through digital channels more intelligently and effectively with the aim of providing more relevant, timely offers to consumers. Using the technology and data sources, MasterCard is able to conceive campaigns or offers, monitor their progress in real time — not only in terms of engagement but also transactions — and tweak where required. 

The final component for the firm is Pepper the robot and MasterPass. The company will demonstrate the future of customer service and payments using Pepper’s ability to integrate customer service, access to information and sales into a seamless and consistent user experience. Pizza Hut Asia will be piloting Pepper for order-taking and personalised engagement to enhance customer service in-store by the end of 2016. 

Delegates and festival-goers can drop by the MasterCard booth to get a first-hand experience of ordering through Pepper. They can also see how the Engine works and walk away with a personalised biometric caricature. 

In addition, MasterCard will be hosting an intimate closed-door event exclusive to invited guests. The event will focus on how brands can use growting opportunities in digital and ecommerce to grow their business. 

Partnership with Anil Kapoor

MasterCard's Sam Ahmed is set to take the stage with MasterCard ambassador Anil Kapoor

Sam Ahmed, MasterCard’s SVP and head of marketing Asia-Pacific will take the Spikes stage with top Bollywood star Anil Kapoor. Together they will address the benefits of good partnerships, creativity and technology. 

Kapoor teamed up with MasterCard for a campaign titled ‘#FulfilaPromise’ that stressed the importance of fulfilling promises made to family. 

The company says it’s partnership with the actor has allowed it to drive good by giving back to society and has inspired busy parents to finally fulfill long-awaited promises of family holidays. 

MasterCard claims the campaigns delivered business results that surpassed benchmarks. The campaigns reached 33 million people, there were 8.9 million video views and a total of 2.8 million qualified leads to merchants delivered. 

“I’m really excited to be joining MasterCard on the main stage at the Spikes Asia Festival 2016, and speaking about the partnership that I have shared with MasterCard over the last year,” Anil Kapoor told Campaign. “Through our partnership, I have had the opportunity to help MasterCard give back to the community and remind parents to make an effort to spend precious time with family amidst busy work schedules. I look forward to sharing more when we take the stage on 21 September at Spikes.”