Mastercard, one of the world’s most active sponsors of major sporting
events, today announced it is partnering with two-time Grand Slam
champion Naomi Osaka. It is the first time Mastercard has added a
current number one tennis player to its roster of global ambassadors.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190524005047/en/
Mastercard announces World Number One, Naomi Osaka as its latest brand ambassador ahead of the French Open at Roland Garros. She joins the brand’s focus on celebrating great women in sport. Photo credit: Rob Prange
Osaka originally shared the news over Twitter during her last
tournament, “Happy to get the first win @MutuaMadridOpen.
Excited about my new partnership with @Mastercard.
Look out for cool things in the future.” She is the first professional
tennis player to wear the Mastercard logo – on her visor – in
competition.
The addition of Osaka speaks to the opportunity Mastercard sees in Asia
as a region overall, including Japan. Mastercard has steadily built out
its sponsorship strategy to ensure that both its ambassadors and
partners reflect its global footprint and embody evolving consumer
passions and preferences of its growing cardholder base.
“Naomi is the next generation of tennis greatness and we’re thrilled to
support her quest to be the best tennis player in the world,” said Raja
Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard. “As
Asia’s first world number one player, she is an inspiration not just to
her fans in Japan and the region, but to young girls and boys the world
over. We see our relationship as an opportunity for us to enable her –
as a consumer and our brand ambassador – to experience all the security
and convenience of our payment products and services.”
Osaka has recently risen into the global spotlight. After winning the
2018 US Open Championship and 2019 Australian Open, she is the sixth
woman in the Open era to win her first two majors consecutively. Born in
Japan to a Haitian-American father and Japanese mother, she currently
resides in Florida.
Her presence as a Mastercard brand ambassador also reinforces the
company’s focus on championing women in sports, investing in their
professional careers and shining the light on gender inclusion.
Mastercard’s premier circle of sports sponsorship and brand ambassadors
includes many of the world’s trailblazing and most elite athletes in
marque sporting events and organizations such as the Roland-Garros, the
Australian Open, UEFA Champions League, PGA TOUR®, Major League
Baseball, Rugby World Cup 2019, The Open Championship, Copa América, and
League of Legends eSports among others. Mastercard uses it partnerships
and assets to create Priceless
experiences and Priceless
surprises to help cardholders get closer to the games and athletes
they love.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com,
is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global
payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions,
merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and
territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce
activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and
managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for
everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews,
join the discussion on the Beyond
the Transaction Blog and subscribe
for the latest news on the Engagement
Bureau.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190524005047/en/