Amex and Mastercard Are Now Media Networks. Who Isn’t?
Once content gatekeepers, credit card companies are becoming ad platforms—letting brands target audiences based on verified purchase data. It’s the next frontier of “commerce media,” where payment networks like Mastercard, Amex, and Chase move from the register to the ad exchange.
The upside? Unmatched purchase-based targeting. The risk? Giving even more control to the few who already own the consumer journey. As advertisers chase precision, the question isn’t how close they can get to the customer—it’s who gets to stand between them.
