Visa Chief Brand & Innovation Marketing Officer Chris Curtin said the company has been "in close contact with the IOC" since the postponement of the Tokyo Games. Curtin, speaking yesterday during the CAA World Congress Comes To You virtual event, said, "We had big ambition and big hopes for the games. And it's one of the reasons we were an early advocate for the postponement of the games, not the cancellation of the games." Curtin noted one thing Visa did was "reach out to our Team Visa athletes and sit back and say, 'Could you help us build some PSA spots effectively that would highlight how remarkable they are athletically, these athletes, but at the exact same time how united they are in rather routine but incredibly important acts such as washing your hands or physical distancing?'" Curtin believes companies should "be authentic and ensure that you're doing everything you can for the world at large, but also for employees and their families." Curtin said any company that can "contribute in any way, shape or form is in the process of thinking about what they can do," and this unprecedented circumstance "fundamentally encourages companies to look within and then sit back and say, 'What is the core of what we do and what kind of impact can that have on today's society?'"
STAYING COMMITTED: Curtin said Visa plans to restructure from the workforce perspective because it can "make shifts based on organizational priorities and areas of focus, but it wouldn't be as a result of COVID-19." Curtin: "We also thought about our commitment to the Team Visa athletes who feel like our ambassadors of our company, who represent the best of our brand on the basis of diversity." To the Team Visa Athletes, Curtin said Visa sent a message that said, "As far as we’re concerned, we’re extending and offering an opportunity to maintain the relationship into 2021. Whether that’s something that you want to do or that's completely up to you, but we want to make that offer and we want to make it as clear to you as we can."
