Visa Debuts Flagship Olympics Commercial During Cavaliers-Warriors Game 7
Visa debuted its flagship Olympic commercial, "Carpool," last night during Game 7 of the NBA Finals, an opportunity that took the longtime Games sponsor a bit by surprise when the Cavaliers won Games 5 and 6. The ad strikes a more lighthearted and product-oriented tone than Visa’s commercials in the '12 London Games, depicting Visa’s role in routine, daily transactions as several Olympians embark on fictional trips to Rio. Actor Morgan Freeman returns to voice a new line emphasizing mobile and digital payments: “The only way to click, swipe, dip, and tap at the Rio 2016 Olympic games.” Edwin Starr’s “25 Miles” is the soundtrack. Along with creative agency BBDO, Visa created 14 alterations of the spot designed for 38 markets around the world. Swimmer Missy Franklin and decathlete Ashton Eaton feature prominently in the U.S. version. Visa had long planned to launch the campaign in late June, but had Game 7 specifically in mind from the start. "Even though I’m a Warriors fan I was rooting for Game 7,” said Visa Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer Chris Curtin, the morning after Game 6. He said the chance to air it then “was pretty cool, because we think it’s a super big stage with a lot of energy" (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer). Visa Exec VP and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Lynne Biggar said this is the "most ambitious, best integrated, most multichannel global Olympic campaign we've done so far." She added, "Our customers and our clients are multichannel, multiscreen people. With 'Carpool,' the spot being the anchor on the film side, we actually are enhancing that and turbocharging that with a lot of ... digital media as well as focusing on social, earned and owned" (ADWEEK, 6/20 issue).
FULL STEAM AHEAD: REUTERS' Liana Baker notes Visa kicked off its campaign "with no plans to cut back on its Olympic presence despite difficulties in host country Brazil." The U.S. payment provider said that it "has seen no significant cancellations in trips to Rio de Janeiro, either among its own team or Olympic ticket and travel package purchasers, over concerns of an outbreak of the Zika virus and political upheaval in Brazil." Biggar said, "We are being very proactive about preparing our employees, guests and clients and customers who will be attending for eventualities that might occur, but we feel pretty good about it. ... We have not seen any different pattern of cancellation than we do in any Olympic games." Visa expects 400,000 to 500,000 visitors to "attend the Rio Games, which run from Aug. 5-21, the first Olympics ever to be held in South America" (REUTERS, 6/20).
