The TV spots feature two couples in everyday situations struggling to use cash to buy things. “In the first spot, we looked at the ‘men are from Mars, women are from Venus’ syndrome,” said Farrokh Madon, ECD of McCann Erickson Singapore, which created the ad. “The wife wants to watch a romance movie. The husband, of course, prefers an action movie. Thanks to her Debit MasterCard, she ends up getting her way and enjoying a public display of his ‘romantic’ side.”
In the second spot, the couple have lost their way. “The man, typically, refuses to ask for directions. But the wife’s debit card helps her get her way to buy a map. Sadly though, the card can’t help her read it,” said Madon.
The new campaign targets trapped cash users who have to rely on ATMs and positions the debit card’s usage opportunities. “Basically, the card allows you to pay anytime, anywhere - so it’s better than cash,” added Madon.
MasterCard is set to unveil other new products in the Malaysian market in 2008, including a Syariah-compliant EonCap Islamic Bank debit card. MasterCard’s involvement in the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 2007 saw the total spent by its cardholders increase to US$1.3 billion, with some 20.7 million transactions being made.