Euro 2008: GE Money Bank and Migros isssue photo card
European football tournament, Euro 2008, and an online card design competition are the latest focus of an ongoing marketing campaign by GE Money Bank and Migros, one of Switzerland’s largest retail chains, to promote customised cards.
GE Money Bank and Migros are using the card design competition and MasterCard-sponsored tournament to promote Migros’s M…MasterCard ‘MyDesign’ photo card, powered by card customisation specialist, Serverside Group.
The MyDesign photo card was originally launched in November 2007 after research showed that many of Migros’s customers wanted an alternative design to the Migros M-Budget MasterCard. GE Money Bank and Migros subsequently introduced the ‘M…MasterCard’ range, which comprises three different card types: the original and distinctive M-Budget MasterCard, one of the first cards in the Swiss market to come with no annual fee; the M…MasterCard Standard card (available in black and white) and the M…MasterCard MyDesign card, the first Swiss photo card.
The latest step in the MyDesign campaign sees the card advertised in a spot at the end of ‘KickOff’, a Euro 2008-focused TV show on Sat 1, sponsored by GE Money Bank. At the end of the show, former Mr Switzerland, Renzo Blumenthal, shows viewers how easy it is to design and apply for the MyDesign card Visit http://www.gemoneybank.ch/fr/kreditkarten/mmastercard.html to see how.
In addition to the TV spot, GE Money Bank is running an online card design competition, where friends and family can vote for an applicant’s design. The competition, also powered by Serverside, is giving away a number of fantastic prizes, including a trip to Austrian capital, Vienna, costing CHF 2,000 (approximately €1,225).
The KickOff TV spot and card design competition are the latest additions to an ongoing cross-media marketing campaign around the MyDesign card. To date, the campaign has comprised teasers in Swiss national newspapers, online banner ads, a PR push and publicity in Migros Magazin.
GE Money Bank is charging new and existing customers 20 CHF (roughly €12) for a photo card. Customers that prefer not to use an image of their own can choose one from the lifestyle or ‘Euro 2008’ galleries provided or simply opt for a Standard or M-Budget card.
As the need for issuers to engage consumers and differentiate their brands becomes ever more important, Serverside is seeing significant interest in its card customisation technology from all over the world. With more than 74 issuers spanning 21 countries offering over 350 card programs, Serverside is the market leader in card customisation technology and associated online marketing tools. Its technology is available in a number of formats, from highly bespoke to off-the-peg for smaller issuers.
Tom Elgar, CTO and Co-Founder, Serverside Group said: “The European football championship is one of the most highly anticipated events in the global sports calendar so it makes sense for GE Money Bank and Migros to use it to promote the M…MasterCard MyDesign card, especially as MasterCard is sponsoring the tournament. As for card design competitions, they are extremely viral and have been proven to boost interest and drive traffic, so we expect to see some great results in the weeks and months ahead.”