From Tagline to Platform: Raja's Priceless Marketing Legacy

A salute to a marketing hero.

The guy who could have killed one of the greatest campaigns in the history of advertising.

But instead of getting to the CMO chair and discarding everything that had been built before, he took something incredible and expanded it in every dimension.

Raja Rajamannar is stepping down as MasterCard’s CMO after a brilliant 12-year journey.

He was the one who evolved "Priceless" from a tagline into a platform.

Who injected purpose into a financial brand known for being plastic (think about that!).

Who led the rebranding of one of the world’s most iconic brands, and removed the name from the logo, such was its recognition power.

All this rooted on one of the most elegant and inspiring brand visions ever written:

"Let’s always remember that we do much more than help people transact or purchase. We believe everyone deserves a richer life, so we create connections to deliver priceless possibilities to all. At Mastercard we connect people to priceless possibilities."

In a creative economy industry that is more about economy than creativity, thank you, Raja, for showing us how things ought to be done in this profession.