MasterCard Changes Tack With a More Purist Martial Arts Platform

The payment services giant has been added to the list of partners for the fifth edition of the Games which is due to take place in Turkmenistan’s capital city between September 16 and 27.

While MasterCard continues being the second biggest spender (20.9% market share, ~US$14.3m) for its category in the Asian sponsorship market since Q215, we have actually witnessed a downward trend in its spend since highs of ~US$3.7m in Q315. This new deal would continue its pattern of activating global platforms – such as the Grammy Awards, UEFA Champions League and Rugby World Cup – albeit Martial Arts is a new medium for the veteran sponsor.

For Asia, this makes investment signals a step change for MasterCard who have traditionally targeted women with their sponsorship platforms. In line with this audience segment, the platforms themselves have been decidedly more “lifestyle” in tone – fashion events (Japan, Singapore), fashion shows (on TV), theatres, shopping seasons and the like.

So while Turkmenistan sits closer to Europe than most of Asia – sitting just East of the Caspian Sea – perversely, this Asian platform-by-name seems to have been influenced harder by MasterCard’s Western marketeers than its Asian colleagues.

Athletes from Asia and Oceania are set to participate in the Games across 21 sports, with 15 venues including the Ashgabat Olympic Complex.