MasterCard's Chief Marketing Officer, Raja Rajamannar Announces New Sonic Brand Experience at the Grammy Awards During Interview on Georgia Business Radio

Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard CMO, Explains How the Company is Tapping into the Culture & Energy of Music’s Biggest Night to Bring the Sonic Brand to Life

The buildup to the GRAMMYs is always exciting, and this year as a proud sponsor, Mastercard is providing a few Priceless experiences of its own to help music fans and cardholders alike celebrate. First, learn how the brand is evolving from a two-dimensional image to a fully sensorial symbol. To showcase its new sound identity and engage music fans, the company has created a unique Sensory Lab—a one-of-a-kind space filled with interactive experiences and exclusive merchandise that will engage visitors’ senses—open to the public February 8 & 9 at Fred Segal Sunset in West Hollywood.

Special interview with Mastercard’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Raja Rajamannar, to showcase and explain how the brand is evolving to meet the demands of multisensory commerce and a rapidly changing consumer landscape.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN DURING THIS PRICELESS PREVIEW:

Learn about how Camila Cabello is bringing a new sonic brand to life

See music fans engage with interactive experiences at the Sensory Lab

Preview the latest brand transformation and for the first time, hear the new transaction sound made with every purchase

SPOKESPERSON BACKGROUND: Rajamannar is Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Mastercard. He has been named one of the “World’s Most Influential CMOs” by Forbes magazine twice, and has been globally recognized for the innovative thinking and leadership in business transformation that he has brought to executive roles across industries. AdWeek has named him as one of the “Top 50 Most Tech Savvy CMOs in the World” and one of the “Top 50 CMOs Leading Charge to Transformation”. Recently, he was named one of the “World’s Most Innovation CMOs” by Business Insider. In addition, Rajamannar has been a featured speaker several times at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Mr. Rajamannar joined Mastercard in 2013, bringing with him more than 25 years of extensive experience as a global executive managing large P&Ls, as well as business transformation and innovation for companies in multiple industries including consumer products, financial services and healthcare. Since joining the company, he has overseen the successful rebranding of Mastercard in 2016 – the organization’s first major rebrand effort in 20 years. Furthermore, Mr. Rajamannar led the integration of both Marketing and Communications to create one global integrated function. He is passionate about evolving both contemporary and classical marketing and communications skillsets to future proof the workforce.

Prior to Mastercard, Mr. Rajamannar served as Chief Transformation Officer of the health insurance firm Anthem (formerly WellPoint). He helped craft the company’s new business direction and strategy, managed its $11 billion Medicare Advantage business and led its $5 billion acquisition of Amerigroup. He had also served as Chief Executive, international and Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer at Humana.

Earlier, Mr. Rajamannar held a number of leadership roles during 15 years with Citigroup including Global Chief Marketing Officer, Cards and Payments and Chairman and CEO, Diners Club North America. He has held senior executive leadership positions all over the globe – in North America, Europe, Asia and MEA. Before that, he spent seven years with Unilever in sales and product management roles. He began his career with Asian Paints in India.

Mr. Rajamannar has been globally recognized for the innovative thinking and leadership in business transformation he has brought to executive roles across industries. He has been named one of the “World’s Most Influential CMOs” by Forbes magazine twice, ranking #9 on the publication’s list in 2017. He has also been included in the Top 25 of iMedia’s Top Digital Innovators in the world and has been featured numerous times in the Billboard Power 100, an annual ranking of executive excellence and influence in the music industry. AdWeek has named him as one of the “Top 50 Most Tech Savvy CMOs in the World” and one of the “Top 50 CMOs Leading Charge to Transformation”. Recently he was also named one of the “World’s Most Innovation CMOs” by Business Insider. In addition, Mr. Rajamannar has been a featured speaker several times at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He also holds a patent in the consumer packaged goods space.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of PPL Corporation, a Fortune 500 power generation and utilities company and Cintrifuse, a Cincinnati-based public/private startup catalyst organization. He serves on the boards of the Ad Council, the Association of National Advertisers and the New York City Ballet.

Mr. Rajamannar received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Indian Institute of Management, in Bangalore, India, and a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India.

EACH YEAR, THE GRAMMY AWARDS CELEBRATE THE BEST IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.

IN THE LEAD UP TO THE 61ST GRAMMY AWARDS, MASTERCARD WILL SHOWCASE ITS NEW SONIC BRAND. TODAY, WE’RE LIVE FROM WEST HOLLYWOOD WHERE THEY HAVE SET UP A UNIQUE SENSORY LAB THAT IS PROVIDING FANS A PRICELESS INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE.

HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THE SONIC BRAND DEBUT AND THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GRAMMYS IS RAJA RAJAMANNAR THE CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR MASTERCARD.

RAJA IS AMONG THE TOP 5 “WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL C-M-O’S” BY FORBES MAGAZINE, AND BUSINESS INSIDER HAS NAMED HIM AS ONE OF THE “TOP 25 MOST INNOVATIVE C-M-O’S IN THE WORLD.” IN ADDITION, RAJA WAS FIRST RUNNER UP AS THE WFA GLOBAL MARKETER OF THE YEAR 2017 AND CURRENT NOMINEE FOR 2018.

Q & A:

WHY DO PEOPLE GET SO EXCITED ABOUT THE GRAMMY AWARDS?

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE NEW SONIC BRAND AND HOW IT WAS DESIGNED TO BUILD EXCITEMENT FOR THE GRAMMY AWARDS?

WHERE ARE YOU TODAY AND WHAT IS THE SENSORY LAB?

WHY IS MUSIC INTEGRAL TO YOUR COMPANY’S BRAND?

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HOW THIS WILL HELP CONSUMERS AND CHANGE THE WAY WE SHOP?

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITES COMPETING FOR AWARDS?

WHERE CAN WE GO FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SOUND OF MASTERCARD?

VISIT: http://www.MasterCard.com


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