Dive Brief:

• Mastercard is bringing its "Priceless experiences" to the digital world by offering online experiences to cardholders as they hunker down at home during the pandemic, the company shared with Marketing Dive via press release.
• The online events series is hosted by Mastercard global ambassadors, including acoustic sessions with musician Camila Cabello, cooking tutorials with professional chefs and a Q&A session with rugby star Bryan Habana and tennis player Naomi Osaka.
• Cardholders can access the Digital Priceless Experiences platform at Priceless.com. The site includes a library of content to help people browse and connect to their passions while at home.

Dive Insight:

Mastercard has relied on its Priceless experiential marketing platform to build loyalty among customers for the past few years. The program aims to connect cardholders to exclusive, "money can't buy" experiences, such as its recreating the world's top dining in its branded New York restaurant.

The company is now looking to translate these experiences online as most consumers remain stuck at home in lockdown and in-person events are canceled. Mastercard's focus during the coronavirus crisis has been to support customers, CMO Raja Rajamannar recently told Marketing Dive.

"But the time is not to sell, this is a time to serve," he said in an April phone interview. "This is a time to enable and not be opportunistic."

The Priceless program lets cardholders enjoy experiences that embody the brand's lifestyle, including trips to restaurants, private concerts and access to celebrities. This digital version of the program takes these same qualities to the digital world to continue engaging cardholders amid a pandemic, which could deepen loyalty once the global health crisis subsides. Experiential marketing has been particularly useful in targeting consumers in recent years — especially millennials — and the brand appears to be working to keep these connections even when people can't venture outside.

Mastecard's program is similar to Airbnb's Experiences, which focus on delivering personal tours and local activities around a vacation destination beyond accommodations. Both companies have ramped up the focus on experiences in recent years.

During the pandemic, Airbnb has created a portal of online experiences to connect people to digital experiences they can try from their living rooms. This week, Airbnb teamed with women-first dating app Bumble on a campaign to provide virtual first dates to people stuck in quarantine. Airbnb introduced a series of online experiences approved by Bumble that dates can share, including wine tastings, cooking lessons, virtual tours, escape rooms and music appreciation classes.