MasterCard Sponsors Sony Ericsson Open; Offers Cardholders Pre-Sale Window

MasterCard has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Sony Ericsson Open to be the tournament’s official card and preferred payment method.

As part of the sponsorship, MasterCard will offer its cardholders exclusive access to the global presale of tickets before they officially go on sale to the general public on January 2. The MasterCard exclusive ticket presale is taking place now until mid-night on November 15, 2011.

“We are very excited to be sponsoring the Sony Ericsson Open tennis tournament for the next three editions (2012, 2013 and 2014),” said Geraldine Cooper, Head of Sponsorships, MasterCard Latin America and Caribbean. “Miami offers its visitors the best of all worlds and it is a great destination for MasterCard cardholders to enjoy special offers and experiences, including the Sony Ericsson Open. This sponsorship gives MasterCard a great opportunity to bring the excitement of tennis to its cardholders and tennis fans across the world.”

It's likely that MasterCard will also activate the event around its new Priceless Cities campaign, which CMO Alfredo Gangotena explained here. The company recently launched Priceless Miami.

“The Sony Ericsson Open is pleased to welcome MasterCard as its official card and preferred payment method through 2014,” said Adam Barrett, Sony Ericsson Open Tournament Director. “The Sony Ericsson Open has always been about bringing its guests new and unique experiences and MasterCard’s philosophy is a perfect fit for our event.”

Though Sony recently bought Ericsson out of their joint venture, no announcement of a tournament name change has been made. Most of the company's mobile phone products are marketed under the Xperia brand so it would seem likely that Xperia will play a key role if there is a future rebranding of the tournament.

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