The FINANCIAL -- Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), a FIFA partner and the preferred card of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM, on March 10 announced an extension of its first-ever global FIFA-themed marketing campaign - Go Fans.

The global campaign, which originally debuted in Latin America in 2009, includes television, print and out-of-home advertisements, usage promotions, experiential offers for cardholders and merchant discounts. Go Fans was developed to connect with football fans worldwide to drive preference for and usage of Visa products, promote Visa's association with the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM and reinforce the ways in which Visa enhances the fan's FIFA World CupTM experience. Today, 78 markets throughout the world are activating Visa FIFA-themed marketing programs with over 200 clients. 

Utilizing the flexibility of the More people go with Visa campaign, advertising creative from the Go Fans campaign will be customized and will appear in 30 markets around the world to strengthen the campaign's relevance in those regions. In addition to Go Fans, customized advertising extensions of the campaign will utilize Go Football and Go [Country] (e.g. Go Brazil) taglines.

"Football fans are unlike any other sports fans in the world. We've created a campaign that captures these fans' inspirational passion for the game, taps into their nationalistic pride and reminds them how Visa can help enhance their experience," said Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer of Visa Inc. "Building off Visa's legacy of creating integrated marketing campaigns in support of global sporting events, our platform enables us to reinforce the ways that Visa enhances the fan's World Cup experience while also advancing our own business and that of our clients."

The Go Fans campaign celebrates the common love that all fans have for football and creative executions featuring the colors of the national flags of each of the 32 qualifying countries, symbolize the expression of each fan's true colors and love of country.  The campaign reinforces the ways that Visa enables fans to express their true colors in support of their teams by offering an easier way to pay, their Visa card.

Television Advertising & Customization

Localized versions of Visa's "Anthem" commercial, which debuted the week of March 1 in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, shows footage of fans throughout the world expressing an array of emotions while viewing football matches. The creative execution is overlaid with the colors of individual national flags and follows the natural progression of anticipation, tension, joy and heartache displayed by football fans during a match. The spot illustrates how fans are divided by their passion for their favorite teams but united in a shared love of football. 

The soundtrack to "Anthem" is an original composition written by South African natives Nonkululeko and Philisiwe Moya entitled "Stand as One, Unite," and is performed by the Agape Children's Choir. First documented in the critically acclaimed film "We Are Together," the Agape Children's Choir is made up of children from the Agape Orphanage in Durban, South Africa who find hope in song. In February, Visa made a donation of $150,000 USD to benefit the Agape Children's Choir and assist with the children's school fees, education costs and the orphanage's administrative costs.

"Anthem" was directed by Jake Scott, the son of Ridley Scott, whose previous work includes the iconic music video "Fake Plastic Trees" for Radiohead, as well as two full-length feature films including the forthcoming "Welcome to the Rileys," starring Kristen Stewart and James Gandolfini.

Cardholder Experiences & Usage Promotions

A core component of Visa's FIFA sponsorship is developing cardholder programs internationally to enhance the fan's football experience through once-in-a-lifetime experiences and usage promotions.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM, Visa has created the "Go 2010 Football Experience" to provide fans with unique access and once-in-a-lifetime experiences which include a pre-match Stadium Tour, viewing the team warm-up by the pitch, and a half-time pitch-side tour. More than 500 "Go 2010 Football Experiences" have been offered to Visa cardholders worldwide. 

Visa has also introduced customizable usage promotions in core markets that provide Visa cardholders with the chance to win tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM every time they use their Visa cards.

FIFA World Cup Sponsorship Activation

In the lead up to the FIFA World Cup, Visa provides financial institutions and merchant partners throughout the world with FIFA-themed creative and marketing materials to enhance their card-marketing efforts, help drive business and achieve corporate brand objectives.

Visa is one of six global FIFA partners with exclusive global category rights through 2014, and is the preferred card for the 2010 FIFA World CupTM. In recognition of Visa's sponsorship of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM, Visa credit, debit and prepaid cards are the only payment cards accepted, along with cash, at all FIFA stadiums and the Onsite Stadium Merchandise Booths. The partnership provides Visa with global rights in the Financial Services product category to all FIFA World CupTM activities that may be activated by financial institution clients and merchant partners. Visa's FIFA sponsorship includes the rights to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM, the FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011TM and the 2014 FIFA World Cup BrazilTM.

Visa cardholders are reminded to contact their issuing banks before leaving for South Africa to alert them of their travel plans and purchases in another country. This will ensure their banks will not temporarily freeze their accounts as an anti-fraud measure. Cardholders should also ask about daily withdrawal limits, ATM fees and emergency phone numbers. 

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