Mastercard today unveiled a new digital media network that will leverage its massive cache of “permissioned” customer purchase data and technology along with its connections to advertisers, publishers, finance companies and consumers.  

Mastercard Commerce Media will operate in owned channels as well as bank and other publishing outlets around the world.  

The network uses proprietary insights from transactions processed by Mastercard — around 160 billion-plus in 2024 alone. The company claims advertising on the network delivers up to 22-times return on ad spend (ROAS) for advertisers across categories such as retail, travel, entertainment, dining, everyday spend and more. 

The company’s own offers and promotions business and relationships withCiti, WPP, American Airlines and Microsoft underpin the effort. It has 500 million cardholders worldwide and 25,000 advertisers.  The Citi relationship provides scale while a “growing collaboration” with WPP, will extend its footprint and connection to brands and buyers in the traditional media space. 

In August the financial services giant named WPP Media as its global media agency leading media strategy, planning, and buying after a formal review. Estimated spending on the account last year was $180 million according to COMvergence.  

Mastercard also said that WPP creative agency Ogilvy would serve as global community management agency partner to engage online communities in key markets.   

“As Mastercard continues to evolve — and to refine the future of marketing in an AI- and data-driven era — we’re expanding the role of our media partnerships to take on a new shape and support more integrated business needs,” the company said at the time.    

“WPP’s powerful global reach and advanced AI and data capabilities—along with their connected approach across paid media, social engagement and business enablement—will help us drive greater impact across our entire marketing ecosystem." 

Microsoft is also a key partner in the development of the new network. As agentic commerce advances, the company is teaming with the tech firm to enable Mastercard Commerce Media in Copilot Studio.  

According to the company, here’s how the operation works. Advertisers come to Mastercard to deliver tailored offers and content (i.e., cashback, discounts, incentives, ads and more) to specific audiences aligned to their own business goals.  

Within Mastercard’s proprietary Offers platform and in line with the advertiser’s set parameters, Mastercard uses insights from data to identify the right audience for each offer. Consumers who receive offers can activate them on their enrolled card and complete the purchase, which Mastercard can then attribute directly to the served content.  

The company says that Mastercard Commerce Media is an “accelerator for brand loyalty.” Publishers can structure programs where consumers earn rewards directly in a brand’s cash currency. “This empowers both brand and consumer, as advertisers can customize the qualifying rules to meet their business goals and consumers unlock greater purchasing power.” 

The network will continue to evolve with new distribution channels being planned including point of sale, digital wallets and more.  

"We understand how to connect advertisers to consumers and consumers to the products, services and experiences they value,” said Craig Vosburg, chief services officer at Mastercard. “Mastercard Commerce Media is a natural extension of the trusted connections we’re known for and the work we already do across our unique suite of services.”