• by Tanya Gazdik , December 4, 2014

MasterCard surprised more than 100 American Airlines passengers with a sneak preview on-board screening of “Annie” and a meet-and-greet with its star and director.

The Dec. 2 event took place during a flight from Los Angeles to New York and was part of the “Priceless Surprises” platform, which aims to drive cardholder affinity.

Quvenzhané Wallis (the star of Annie) and Will Gluck (director) were accompanied by actor Jamie Foxx.

Priceless Surprises launched in early 2014 as a way for MasterCard to engage with its cardholders individually and in a way that is meaningful to them. This is the first time Priceless Surprises has ever taken flight and the first time MasterCard has done an inflight promotion.

American Airlines is a longtime MasterCard partner both on the cobrand side with the Citi AAdvantage MasterCard program, as well as on the marketing front having worked together on various consumer engagement initiatives, says Maripi Jalandoni, U.S. head of marketing, MasterCard.

“With the ‘Annie’ Priceless Surprise, we wanted to try something new and unexpected, something we have never done before, and deliver a truly unique experience to show cardholders that you never know when a Priceless Surprise can happen,” Jalandoni tells Marketing Daily.

Knowing the cast of “Annie” would be heading to NYC for the film’s world premiere on Dec. 7, MasterCard leveraged its partnership with American Airlines, she says.

The date of the flight was selected based on when select cast members would be traveling, but the exact flight was chosen at random, Jalandoni says.

“Priceless Surprises is an always-on initiative and we are working with various merchant, issuing and sponsorship partners to surprise MasterCard cardholders when they least expect it,” Jalandoni says. 

Passengers on American Airlines Flight 4 from LAX to JFK arriving at gate 40 realized that their flight may be a bit unique: A red carpet was rolled out from the jet way for boarding passengers. 

Upon showing the gate agent their ticket, a woman wearing a gown and a man in a tuxedo handed them a faux movie ticket and told them that a Priceless Surprise would be taking place during the flight. Camera crews captured all the activity at the gate. A branded blanket and travel pillow was laid on each passenger’s seat on the plane.

Once airborne, the AA flight attendant announced to passengers that this AA flight had been chosen as a MasterCard Priceless Surprise.

The MasterCard team handed out Priceless Surprises-branded earbuds to all passengers, and those who showed their MasterCard received an upgraded set of earbuds. Staff handed out Fandango movie vouchers to allow passengers to see Annie on the big screen, and flight attendants passed out popcorn and movie candy to all passengers.

Upon the movie’s conclusion, Director Will Gluck addressed the passengers that another Surprise was about to take place. Quvenzhane Wallis, who starred as Annie in the movie, emerged from the Business Class cabin outfitted in the dress from the movie, to answer questions from the passengers. 

Upon exiting the plane, passengers walked the red carpet from the jet way to the gate, where they were greeted by MasterCard staff and handed a MasterCard/AA gift bag with the movie poster and soundtrack. They were invited to take a picture at the MasterCard/AA step and repeat banner, while being “interviewed” by a mock red carpet correspondent.

“Over time, our Priceless campaign has transitioned from showing ‘priceless’ moments on television commercials to enablingpriceless experiences in our cardholders’ lives to now inspiring priceless surprises among MasterCard cardholders,” Jalandoni says.