Mastercard’s CMO Forum

Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry, recently hosted its first chief marketing officers (CMO) forum, to explore the impact of digital transformation on brand strategy and consumer engagement. The forum was attended by top executives from leading companies including Emirates, Nestlé and McDonald’s.

Hosted by Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard, the panel discussion, titled “I Don’t Want Your Ads”; Marketing in an Ad-Blocking World, drew attention to the evolving role of marketing in connecting brands to a new generation of consumer. During the session, Mastercard, which was recently named among the world’s top companies by Brandwatch for ‘ Best-in-Class Customer Experience’ and ‘ Most Pleasing Brand’ , shared insights on the transformation of its marketing and brand strategy, including the evolution of its globally acclaimed campaigns such as ‘Priceless’.

The panelists, Samer Alhaider, senior manager eCommerce and mobile, Emirates Airline; Balki Radhakrishnan, Vice President, Asia, Middle East, Africa, Nestlé; and Tarek El Kady, senior director, marketing, MEA Business Unit, McDonald’s, exchanged insights on creating unique and sustainable differentiation to future-proof brands.

“The birth of the ‘expectation economy’ has necessitated the need for brands to engage with consumers through experiential marketing. With a booming population of millennials, and a long history of innovative thinking, the Middle East and Africa offer an excellent opportunity for marketers to leverage on this trend to their advantage and drive richer brand experiences that wow their consumers and enable them to create and tell their own stories. Forums like these allow the marketing community to explore these evolving consumer behaviours from an industry-wide perspective and share best practices, helping us unlock the next phase of growth for the regional marketing landscape,” said Rajamannar.