Visa shows how one moment can change everything in Women's World Cup spot
Visa claims it is ‘everywhere you want to be’ and this summer that desired destination is the Fifa Women’s World Cup in France. There, the payments technology giant will feature its latest payment services, but also will shine a spotlight on some of the most interesting stories in women’s soccer on a global stage.
Visa's 'One Moment Can Change the Game' campaign
As the official payment services partner of Fifa, Visa unveiled its global marketing campaign ‘One Moment Can Change the Game.’ The campaign highlights Visa’s support of women entrepreneurs, cardholders, small business owners and athletes, as well as its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The global campaign showcases a series of vignettes, inspired by the true stories of female football players, including Team Visa women football players, Lucy Bronze (Great Britain), Eugenie Le Sommer (France), Kim Little (Scotland), Dzsenifer Maroszan (Germany) and Nadia Nadim (Denmark).
With soccer as the background, the films display how moments of acceptance and empowerment can have an impact on someone’s life. Whether it is Maroszan scoring the deciding goal during the 2016 Olympic Games final, or Nadim being selected as a member of the under-15 regional team in Denmark after arriving in the country as an Afghani refugee, each of these athletes has experienced moments that have defined their lives and inspired them to greatness. The campaign will reach 33 markets, featuring a combination of hero and social films on broadcast television, digital, social, print and out-of-home.
It’s an effort the entire company gets behind, said Visa’s chief brand and innovation marketing officer, Chris Curtin, to The Drum.
“We have a full fledged deployment by Visa behind the Women’s World Cup this summer in France. We are proud sponsors of some of the biggest sports platforms in the world, whether it’s the Olympics or whether it’s Fifa. When we have these events, it’s a complete effort by all parts of the company, not just marketing. We attempt to showcase the best of our brand and the best of our business.”
Curtin said that the company “wants to stand for everyone, everywhere” and the Women’s World Cup provides a moment to reach a global audience. “It’s an assignment we have that we take with great pride and with a lot of honor.”
Visa will feature contactless payment-enabled technology in all the stadiums the World Cup plays in, along with wearable payment devices for cliens and fans, but just as important for the brand is its messages of “empowerment, inclusion and diversity…with no prejudice, no bias and no exclusion,” according to Curtin.
Those ideals come out in the creative campaign, which centers on the theme of that ‘one moment’. Curtin said that 'One Moment' is a bridge to where women’s soccer is right now, which he believes is at a tipping point. That’s why Visa is a cross sponsor of the Uefa Women’s League, as well as a sponsor of the Women’s World Cup.
When finding the athletes to feature as part of its Team Visa group of athletes, the company focuses on their character and why they should be associated with the brand. “The athletes we selected we all believe have this ‘one moment’ nature to their background and to their story. Visa has always taken a lot of care in terms of selection of who sits on Team Visa and who represents our company,” said Curtin.
The Team Visa program started in 2000 and since then Visa has sponsored and supported more than 400 athletes. The company noted that the roster is now over 50% women.
“We’ve built a history of looking for them and we’ve created kind of an internal brand within the sports community…It’s a real source of pride for these employees. These athletes are representing the Visa brand just like a Visa employee represents the Visa brand each and every day,” said Curtin.
Aside from the athletes featured, Visa also recently launched the first global Visa Everywhere Initiative: Women’s Global Edition, inviting women entrepreneurs to tackle fintech and social impact challenges. After a series of regional semi-finals around the world, 12 startups will take the stage and participate in a final live-pitch event during the opening week of the tournament. Two overall winners will receive $100,000 each, mentorship and access to Visa’s network of partners and clients.
“We’re hoping, through this effort, to use it as a springboard to build a relationship well beyond the selection of the winners. It’s an opportunity for us to strike partnerships with what they’re doing and support them going forward,” Curtin stated. “This is a company that is effectively committed to diversity and inclusion and we’re doing everything we can to bring that story to life through people who we think stand for that.”
