No longer a fledgling phenomenon, the sonic brand continues to gain traction as a foundational strategy for McDonald’s at Apple
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at Coca Cola who seek to amplify their relationship with consumers. Now Mastercard
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goes up a notch with the release of an album whose 10 songs each take up the melody of its sound ID.

Invaluable debuts this week on Spotify with the blessing – and street reputation – of super-producer Timbaland, whose music creator platform beat club worked with the payment company on the project. Mastercard has also worked with producer Niclas Molinder to recruit artists who represent a range of cultures, genres and languages.

It’s the latest audio initiative from the company, which launched its sonic brand in 2019 and has been a strong advocate for the role of sound in enhancing brand value. Among the recent moves, MasterCard released a single in 2020 based on her sound logo, engaged music as a central part of her TikTok presence, and worked with artists such as Jennifer Hudson and SZA for advertising campaigns.

“People are interacting with audio more through wearable devices, IoT. By subtly embedding our sound DNA into the music consumers enjoy, we are adding to the experience rather than taking away from it,” says Raja Rajamannar, Director of Marketing and Communications at Mastercard.

“As we continue to build the equivalent of our brand visual logo and design system into the space, this album creates an important moment for us to connect with consumers in a culturally relevant and fun way.”

“It’s new, and it’s fresh, and I don’t think it’s ever been done before,” says Timbaland, who helped organize the songs and personally supervised the remixes of two tracks. “I was involved in curating all the sounds and coaching the creators.”

Since adopting its sound brand, Mastercard has garnered plenty of accolades in the space, landing at the top of Amp’s Best Audio Brands report for the past two years. It is a designation that is not cheap, but Rajamannar believes that every dollar invested by the company is worth every dollar invested by the company.

“As we continue to build the equivalent of our visual brand logo and design system in the audio space, this album creates an important moment for us to connect with people in a culturally relevant, unique and fun way” , he said. “Traditional marketing is a thing of the past – finding innovative ways to create and reinforce our brand identity is how we approach our marketing and partnerships.”

The Invaluable launch follows spirit launch in early June of the global music program Sprite Limelight, in collaboration with Universal Music Group. The program centers around a melody and lyrics created by musician James Blake that artists around the world use to create original songs. Energy company Shell has also launched the Sound of Shell, a suite of flexible musical assets that includes variations from rock to guitar to ambient to a five-note mnemonic.

As part of the Beatclub collaboration, Mastercard will purchase and provide one-year platform subscriptions to hundreds of up-and-coming creators from underprivileged communities. It will also continue to support the artists on the album “through a variety of programs, activations and support functions,” Rajamannar said.

“We will integrate them into our lineup wherever possible, and they are now part of the fabric of our sonic brand. As part of the Mastercard family, we look forward to continuing to support these artists throughout their musical journeys. , individually and as a group. We hope this experience will propel them to success as they continue to pursue their passions with our unwavering support,” he says.

Timbaland, who has worked with talent ranging from Missy Elliott to Justin Timberlake to Madonna, says he expects more brands to look at collaborating with the creative community to both create and elevate their sound identities.

“The future is for brands to start collaborating with artists and producers to create a sound around their brand. You have to get back to the music. You have to think outside the box now,” he says.

The artists on Invaluable include: Michael Rice (UK), Shiraz (Lebanon), Good Harvest (Sweden), Alma Lake (Colombia/USA), Raees (Algeria), Tejas (India), Nadine Randle (UK/Sweden) , Tania (Australia), Elle B. (United States) and Amaya (Slovenia).