How can we champion acceptance by uniting people from all over the world with a shared experience that transcends cultural and language barriers, powered by Visa’s payment innovation?

Solution: The Visa RioPOOL. Building on existing “rideshare” behavior, we sought to bridge the silence that divides backseat strangers with humor, the world’s universal language and the simple act of taking a selfie.

Through a rideshare service partnership, riders in six cities around the world were presented with the option of requesting a “Visa RioPOOL” when they used their Visa card. Participants learned about the Visa RioPOOL through smart placements within the rideshare service’s properties, virtually eliminating the need for paid media awareness.

The cars used for the Visa RioPOOL were outfitted with augmented reality photo booths, allowing passengers to don custom virtual Olympic-themed props and filters that connected them to the fun of the Games and to one another, even if they didn’t speak the same language.

Though not everyone could participate in the in-car experience, we wanted to ensure the world could witness and internalize the simple power of acceptance. We then captured the experience as it was happening, distributing the story across digital and social video channels around the world, showcasing how Visa actively fosters acceptance during the Olympic Games.

An experience felt around the world

The Visa RioPOOL video content struck a chord in a world hungry for positivity, helping to elevate Visa to become the #2 most talked about global Olympics sponsor, reaching 51MM people. For the Visa brand, the experience and content helped drive positive growth in brand affinity, and innovation perception during Rio 2016.

Creating active preference amongst consumers

Even more impressive, the experience drove a third of participants to purposefully change their payment method to Visa within the rideshare service’s app. In a world of mobile apps & services in which consumers set and forget their payment method, overcoming this hurdle means Visa will reap the benefits of the user’s lifetime revenue - a huge win.

The Visa RioPOOL ultimately brought people around the world together for an unexpectedly fun ride, making friends out of strangers.