• Brandweek, Monday, May 22, 2006 1 PM

Financial services marketer MasterCard is teaming up with the state of Florida for a hurricane preparedness campaign. Under the terms of the deal, the state will be allowed to use the credit card's famous "Priceless" tagline in new ads that remind residents to get ready for the upcoming storm season. The ad, which will run in newspapers in the Tallahassee, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach areas, show a stark, all-black background with copy that reads: "Battery powered flashlight, storm shutters, and weather band radio: $349 tax free. (a little help before the storm: priceless)." The campaign promotes a tax-free shopping season that Florida governor Jeb Bush recently signed into law that allows state residents to buy "hurricane preparedness materials" without paying taxes on qualifying purchases from May 21 to June 1. "The MasterCard 'Priceless' campaign has evolved into a highly effective communications platform for reaching consumers," said company CMO Larry Flanagan. "It is our hope that the campaign will help motivate Floridians to take action now to protect themselves from the types of storms that have been so devastating in recent years." June 1 marks the start of the 2006 hurricane season, according to the National Weather Service Forecast Office.

Read the whole story at Brandweek »