Mastercard expands Branded Entertainment efforts

NEW YORK - MasterCard International expanded its branded-entertainment efforts last night with its first foray into scripted drama, a tie-in with the WB network's teen drama One Tree Hill.

The deal included three appearances during the episode (the card's logo is seen in one restaurant and characters twice use a MasterCard debit card as part of the plot) as well as a sweepstakes promotion tied to the release of the show's first season on DVD. Buyers who use MasterCard to purchase the DVD and CD of the show's sound track get a poster and are entered in a contest to win a chance to win a trip to the show's set.

MasterCard has done tie-ins before, but mainly with nonfiction programming such as A&E's Biography series and documentary programs on the History Channel, linked to the sale of show DVDs, said Betty Pat McCoy, senior vice president and director of national broadcast buying at Omnicom Group's GSD&M, Chicago, MasterCard's media agency.

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