Take A Charge: ESPN, Visa To Unveil Co-Branded Payment Card
By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large
ESPN is introducing yet another brand extension with a co-branded Visa card that’s expected to be rolled out next week. The ESPN Total Access Visa card from bank issuer Washington Mutual is a rewards card that will offer unique ESPN experiences and sports merchandise as incentives to use the card. A formal announcement is expected next Thursday in N.Y. Not surprisingly, Washington Mutual will support the card with ads across a variety of ESPN media. However, the launch campaign will not use any of ESPN’s on-air talent, but rather stress the unique rewards offered by the Total Access card. This is not the first time the all-sports net has lent its brand on a general purpose credit-card. MBNA issued an ESPN card during the heydays of co-branded credit cards in the ‘90s; that card was strictly an affinity play and did not offer rewards.
|
