Client: Visa

Break through communication platform.
The credit card industry was comprised primarily of three brands…Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Visa and MasterCard were perceived as parity products with a day to day retail orientation. American Express, the smallest of the three brands was the prestige product in the category but had acceptance limitations vs. the two bank cards.
Objective
To differentiate Visa from Mastercard and create meaningful, sustained preference for Visa.

Insight

  • Visa’s retail characteristics were both an asset and a liability…
  • It guaranteed strength of daily transactions.
  • However it limited the opportunity to upgrade image beyond day to day retail and seemed inappropriate for upscale retail and travel & entertainment.
Strategy
Compare Visa to American Express (not MasterCard) and demonstrate the products acceptance advantage in locations everyone just assumed accepted American Express.
Campaign Example
TV
Print
Results
It’s Everywhere You Want To Be AND They Don’t Take American Express.
  • The comparison to American Express increased the aspirational and functional perception of Visa and dropped Mastercard from the consumer consideration set.
  • Visa’s rating of ‘best overall card’ almost doubled in a 5 year period…without any product innovation
  • In this same period Visa’s overall transaction volume was $158 billion. This was 70% higher than that of either MasterCard or American Express.
  • The Visa case study is studied extensively in business schools and Visa was inducted in the Advertising Hall Of Fame based on this campaign.