The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a sponsorship agreement with the American multinational financial services corporation, Mastercard.
Following this deal, the brand has become a global partner for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is set to be held in India from October 5 to November 19, 2023.
By offering special perks to cardholders and customers, Mastercard will carry on its long tradition of supporting sports. With the World Cup happening in India, where cricket is one of the most popular sports, Mastercard puts spectators in the middle of the proceedings ensuring that they can enjoy the game like never before.
Aside from the special 24-hour pre-sale window, Mastercard cardholders will also be eligible for a number of advantages. These possibilities include the ability to interact with legendary cricketers, see the Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy up close, and gain special access to games. Children of cardholders between the ages of 12 and 18 will also have the opportunity to participate in the flagbearer initiative, while Mastercard cardholders will have access to a variety of discounts on official ICC merchandise.
The partnership between Mastercard and the ICC emphasises the company’s dedication to cricket and broadens its elite list of international sports partners, which already includes the PGA Tour and the UEFA Champions League.
ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice, said, “We are delighted to announce Mastercard as a global partner for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the pinnacle event of the one-day game. Mastercard brings its rich experience of sports partnerships to the table, and the ICC is looking forward to collaborating with a renowned global brand to bring many benefits to cricket lovers around the world.”
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Mastercard, Raja Rajamannar, said, “Cricket is a huge passion for millions of people across the globe particularly in India and South AsiaWe are excited to partner with the ICC for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, allowing us to bring fans closer to their passion for the sport. We’re dedicated to connecting our customers, cardholders and all cricket enthusiasts to priceless possibilities throughout the tournament.”
In a roundtable questionnaire session, SportsMint Media got the opportunity of asking a question to Mr Raja.
How will Mastercard use its expertise for doing local activations in India during the World Cup?
We’re in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and also Latin America and the US and the associations in those regions turned out well.
It doesn’t have to be solely from sports sponsorships, we could use experiences from different sponsorships, as well. We are sponsoring Cannes Festival and we have found certain things, which are extremely applicable in a sporting area like cricket for example.
What kind of ads will work? There are certain global templates, you have to adapt them through local context. So we try to get those kind of things. And now whatever we learn here, we can take it to the other parts of the world, that’s the advantage of being a global company. As well as, it’s an opportunity for us to be smarter, make lesser mistakes and be more innovative, creative and also not reinvent the same wheel.