Moving on the list for TOP Olympics marketing efforts is Visa.
Visa International is the exclusive payment card and the official payment system for the Olympic Games. But what’s so impressive about Visa is that their Olympics marketing efforts have been made a Harvard case study. With a great pre, during and post programs with the host country for the Olympics, Visa has not only managed to leverage its brand with the games, but also with the host merchants who would choose Visa as a preferred choice of payment.
Right, to put things into perspective, u can see some numbers for the various host cities and how Visa’s marketing programs with these host cities has helped to boost tourism in the country.
So what has Visa done this year for the most hyped up Olympics so far?
1) On a global scale, Visa launched its “Go World” campaign, which is meant to stress global harmony over nationalistic pride.
There’s a micro site which shares the stories of fans and athletes from the past Olympics. In addition, check out the commercial which has Morgan Freeman (I like to call him God, lol) saying “We don’t always agree. But for a few shining weeks we set it all aside.”
Done by TBWA, this campaign brings out the emotional aspect of the Games while trying to link it back with the brand. You can check out the micro site here.
What’s great is how fans can share their own stories, which really makes this campaign more social and more memorable for the fans when its something they can relate to.
2) Like i always say, what’s brand without its ambassadors. And who better than the 2 biggest Chinese faces to bring out Visa during this year’s Olympics? Jackie Chan and Yao Ming of course! Check out the ad below done by BBDO.
3) Visa also has its own regional efforts which i applaud. Setting a prime example of a sporting event sponsorship, Visa has ‘win a trip a day’ promotion to encourage users to use their Visas while getting a chance to go to the Olympics. (Taking promotional management marketing next sem so i’m kindda looking out for this, haha).
Standard promotion and you can read more about it here.
There are definetly more B2B marketing promotions involved behind the scenes with financial institutions, merchants and the government and IOC, which i shall not dwell more into. Visa is a strong beliver in its Olympics sponsorship and has done well to fully maximize, not only its brand name, but also its usage among partners. Kudos to one of the success stories in sports marketing!
I’ll be covering more of the sponsors at a faster pace. But on a lighter note, John Davis (my sports marketing prof) has released his new book titled “The Olympic Games Effect”. You can read more about it here.This book covers how brands have used the Olympics to leverage their brand and will be a good read for those interested in what I’ve been blogging about for the past few days. Looking forward to this read!
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