On day 10 of Vancouver 2010, VISA should be acknowledged not only as one of the Olympic movement's top-10 sponsors in terms of financial investment, the San Francisco-based global corporation deserves kudos for the advertising campaign it has activated around the 21st Olympic Winter Games.
VISA is at the top of the podium of Olympic sponsors these Games on the strength of its Go World television campaign voiced by Oscar winner Morgan Freeman.
Freeman's personal brand -- both likable and respected -- is an ideal combination to bring to VISA's global brand-building efforts. His narrative is one of the major reasons the Go World campaign is a winner. It also doesn't hurt that his profile is heightened during these Games on the backs of Invictus -- the rugby movie in which he plays South African president Nelson Mandela -- and his most recent Oscar nomination for best actor in advance of the Academy Awards March 7th.
Go World is smart because of the simple tagline, easily adaptable to Go VISA and domestic applications such as Go Canada.
The television ads are well-written, well-produced and well-themed (the Norwegian connection to Canadian cross-country skier Sara Renner at Turin 2006 as one of the best examples).
Go World has been so effective because it was among the first out of the gates months before Vancouver 2010 and has sustained VISA's place in the minds of consumers on the volume of a heavy media buy -- in Canada, the U.S. and in many other winter sports countries.
Yet VISA is winning mostly because it has accomplished what is often difficult for Worldwide Olympic partners to do; and that is connect with the domestic audience of the host country. VISA did that by being the first Olympic sponsor -- domestic or otherwise -- to run a congratulatory television spot on the occasion of Canada's first-ever home Olympic gold (22 minutes after Alex Bilodeau won the men's moguls on the first Sunday of the Games). It is doing that by running congratulatory ads on every subsequent Canadian gold medal.
Only fellow IOC Worldwide Partners Coca-Cola (with its hockey-themed 30-second television spot) and McDonald's (with its tribute to Canada's gold medalists using Jamie Campbell's call on Bilodeau's freestyle ski win on CTV) are in the same league on their television execution around Vancouver 2010.
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