Announcement Follows Recent Sponsorship Renewal Through 2020 Olympic Games
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), a Worldwide Olympic Games Sponsor for more than two decades, today announced the global launch of its Olympic-themed marketing campaign for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Go World. This global campaign, which features television,digital and out-of-home advertising, host market merchant activation programs and usage promotions, enables Visa to connect with cardholders and Olympic and Paralympic Games fans to drive preference for and usage of Visa products worldwide.
This launch follows the recent extension of Visa's Olympic Games sponsorship for another eight years - through 2020 - enabling Visa's financial institution clients and merchant partners to continue to build strong relationships with their customers through unique Visa marketing programs.
"Go World builds on the concept that ran so successfully in the United States during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games," said Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer of Visa Inc. "To connect with Olympic fans globally, we've taken this platform and created a campaign that transcends borders, resonates with fans' sense of national pride, builds our own business and that of our clients, and advances the spirit of the Olympic Movement."
The Go World campaign celebrates athleticism and human triumph through unique athlete stories. It features a wintry blue tone throughout all creative executions and will be customized to maximize local relevance in key markets. The campaign also includes merchant offers, enhanced social media applications and a deeper focus on Visa-sponsored athletes (Team Visa - Vancouver).
US Television Advertising & Customization
On Sunday, November 1, "Get Closer," the first of several television commercials, aired in the United States. "Get Closer" reinforces Visa's history of supporting Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and connects directly with fans through a new Olympic-themed usage promotion. When United States cardholders use their Visa card between November 1 and December 31, 2009, they will be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip for four to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Each trip will include airfare, hotel, and VIP hospitality access, as well as event tickets, courtesy of Visa. In addition, Visa will award five first prize winners a Panasonic High-Definition Blu-Ray Theater featuring a 58-inch Plasma HDTV and a $500 Visa gift card, and five second prize winners will receive a $500 Visa gift card. Official rules are available at www.visa.com/goworld. No purchase or obligation necessary to enter or win.
The second spot, "Anthem," will air in the coming weeks to build anticipation for the Games with images of a burning Olympic Cauldron and a montage of iconic Olympic Games moments to remind viewers of global commonalities and the power of the Olympic Spirit.
"When we introduced More people go with Visa earlier this year, we focused on people taking action - and the role of Visa in that action," Lucio said. "No group embodies this concept of empowerment more than the thousands of Olympic and Paralympic athletes chasing their Olympic dreams."
Upcoming creative executions of Go World will feature Olympic and Paralympic athletes of the past and present - including a series of television commercials during NBC's broadcast of the 2010 Winter Games in the United States, where Visa will enjoy category exclusivity for the duration.
Similar to More people go with Visa, elements of the Go World campaign will be localized in Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, China and Latin America to strengthen the campaign's relevance in those markets.
US Go World Web Site
Visa's efforts in the digital space also put the athletes at the center, offering cardholders and Olympic and Paralympic Games fans a unique glimpse at the personal journey of these hopefuls. By providing this behind the scenes access, Visa reinforces its role in the Olympic Movement and strengthens its relationships with millions of Olympic and Paralympic Games fans worldwide.
The campaign will also include an extensive Web site (US- www.visa.com/goworld), which contains exclusive merchant offers, behind the scenes Team Visa - Vancouver training videos, downloadable photos of athletes in action, and athlete training playlists with songs available for purchase. Team Visa - Vancouver (US) athletes featured here include Julia Mancuso (alpine skiing), Lindsey Jacobellis (snowboard, snowboard cross), Ryan St. Onge (freestyle skiing, aerials), Angela Ruggiero (ice hockey), and Paralympian Alexi Salamone (ice sledge hockey).
Athlete widgets will be available for download and posting on social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Visa has also worked with its network of merchant partners to provide exclusive offers to Visa cardholders as they prepare for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Available at www.visa.com/goworld, Visa cardholders are able to access savings at popular merchants including The Hilton Family New York City, CoSport, Finish Line, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental. In the coming weeks, Visa will introduce six Visa Gift Card designs featuring Team Visa - Vancouver athletes and a Whistler landscape image for purchase at Gift Card Mall via www.visa.com/goworld.
The Go World online content will also be customized for Olympic and Paralympic Games fans in Canada and Russia. In Canada, the Go World Web site features Team Visa - Vancouver athletes including Emily Brydon (alpine skiing), Clara Hughes (speed skating), Colette Bourgonje (Paralympic cross-country skiing), Brian McKeever (Paralympic cross-country skiing, biathlon), Jennifer Heil (freestyle skiing, moguls), Alexa Loo (snowboard) and Jeff Christie (luge), mentors Kurt Browning (figure skating), Nathalie Lambert (short track speed skating) and Ian Balfour (Paralympic alpine skiing), and ambassadors Jeffrey Buttle (figure skating), Danielle Goyette (ice hockey) and Diedra Dionne (freestyle skiing, aerials). Russia's Go World Web site spotlights Team Visa - Vancouver athletes OIga Zavyalova (cross-country skiing) and Albert Demchenko (luge).
Athlete Support & Olympic Sponsorship Activation
Visa believes that the Games begin and end with the athletes and has created a unique global program, Team Visa, to provide long-term support to these hopefuls as they prepare for one of the greatest challenges of their lives: competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since 1986, Visa has empowered thousands of these athletes to achieve their dreams by providing them with financial support, financial literacy training and valuable marketing exposure in pursuit of their goals. In the run-up to the 2010 Winter Games, Visa will support more than 30 individual athletes, all with the potential to be selected for their National Teams. Currently, Team Visa - Vancouver includes top athletes as well as national teams from the United States, Canada, China, Japan and Russia.
Over the past few months Visa has been working with its financial institution clients globally to offer Visa cardholders the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the Games and with national and international merchant partners to help them generate business and excitement among their customers leading up to the Games. Go World is prominent on the interior (register branding, point-of-sale) and exterior (banners) of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Superstore (Hudson Bay Company) in downtown Vancouver. Additionally, Go World will be featured throughout Visa's presence program, including point of sale materials at merchants around Vancouver and Whistler.
Visa remains the only card accepted at 2010 Winter Games venues in Vancouver and Whistler and at select U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the United States. This extends to the purchase of Visa Olympic Winter Games merchandise online, in Olympic Games retail stores and by catalog. At the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Visa installs a special Games ATM network and hundreds of point-of-sale acceptance devices at competition and non-competition venues. Onsite at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Visa personnel will also provide a variety of card payment related services to cardholders.
About Visa
Visa Inc. operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world, and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
Media Contacts
Andrew Woodward
Visa USA
650.432.3923
woodward@visa.com
Dianna Mangiantini
Fleishman-Hillard
415.318.4182
dianna.mangiantini@fleishman.com
