To ignite fans’ passion for the Games, we used a media mix across key Olympics distribution channels – online display, streaming video, mobile, TiVo, print, television.

We capitalized on historic moments by obtaining real-time NBC footage from the Beijing Games to repurpose for TV ads. For example, we ran congratulatory Michael Phelps ads immediately after his historic win. Print ads contained a mobile short-code allowing fans to send a text to receive an audio download of the story behind the athlete pictured in the ad.We produced a Visa-exclusive Sports Illustrated commemorative “book-a-zine” to celebrate historic wins and create a collector’s item. TiVo users had on-demand access to Visa content, including a first-of-its-kind customizable Games Guide. We drove fans to a Visa.com/GoWorld micro-site, where they could share/upload their own Olympic-inspired stories.All these touch points contained elements of interactivity that encouraged consumer engagement with the winning spirit of the campaign and the Games.

Speaking of winning, this breakthrough strategy achieved the highest awareness score (87%) of any Olympic sponsor. “Go World” advertising performed better than all other sponsor ads on connection to brand, delivery of core message and likeability. Fans spent time interacting with the campaign and the micro-site received 241,000 unique visitors – significantly higher than industry norms.The site’s “Share your Story” section, where fans uploaded Games highlights, received 16,000 page-views. More than 230 stories (89+ million impressions) mentioned Visa’s “Go World” campaign, athletes featured in spots and congratulatory ads. Overall, a win-win situation prevailed – for the fans, the athletes and VISA.