Credit card advertisers have a difficult task – after all they are selling debt! Think about it.

Credit cards are a means of accessing money, by pre-arrangement, which isn’t yours and which you have to pay back. Having said that, any commercial advertising credit card needs to be both positive and have desirable associations.

How credit card providers go about achieving these goals has been the cause of some very creative and clever entertainment as you’ll have seen.

MasterCard’s Master Commercials

The most famous credit card commercials, of course, are the MasterCard Priceless commercials – and all of the parody ads made in the same style. So, if its true that imitation is a form of flattery then MasterCard really have pulled off a marketing coup.

You know you’ve struck a cord with popular culture when you get a mention in The Simpsons.

Credit Cards Made Attractive Using Celebrities

Not to be undone, American Express credit cards have used the endorsement of famous celebrities shopping in their “My Life. My card” campaigns. As an aside, check out this funny British comedy skit (‘Not the Nine O’Clock News’) making fun of the American Express cardholder back in the 80’s.

Robert De Niro Endorsing His Amex Card

The Amex Platinum Card Endorsed By James Bond

Artist Nicole Atkins Endorsing Her Amex Card

Even Jaws (Of Bond Fame) Is In On The Act

More Credit Card Commercials

The Big Credit Limit Angle

This Korean credit card provider designed the commercial to illustrate how the card’s big credit limit makes you bigger than all the rest of the crowd.

Rewards Sell

This commercial incentivises the rewards of the credit card itself to lure potential customers to apply.

Credit Card Theft Protection

CitiBank employed the creative use of acting and voiceovers to successfully get across the real threat of identity theft, and how you are protected from it.

Banking Customer Service

Again, CitiBank uses humour to address people’s bad customer service experiences with those ‘other’ credit card providers. Of courses, Citi are perfect.

Extras

Again, CitiBank choose the humourous slant to get you to buy into their product.

Dramatic, Old Western-Style Visa Commercial

It seems they needed plastic cards back in the days of the wild wild west, presumably because of the safety benefits they offered: they couldn’t be cloned or used to buy anything.

Sarcastic Japanese Card Ad

Check out this humourous, straight-talking Japanese credit card provider that promises to beat you down if you don’t pay in time.