New agreement results in 20 year association with the NFL and includes comprehensive range of benefits for Visa, clients and cardholders
SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 22, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), a proud sponsor of the National Football League
(NFL) since 1995, today announced it has renewed its sponsorship for
another five seasons. Visa will be the exclusive payment service for the
NFL and all official NFL events through the 2014 season. The company
also unveiled its integrated marketing campaign in support of the 2009
NFL season.
As part of the renewal agreement, Visa will enjoy a host of new benefits
which include: top-tier sponsorship of the NFL Draft and NFL Kickoff,
exclusive experiences for Visa clients to utilize in their Visa card
marketing programs, a Visa and NFL co-branded online portal on NFL.com
for Visa Signature cardholders to obtain access to one-of-a-kind NFL
experiences and expanded presence and preference for NFL-related
transactions through various sales channels.
"The NFL is the premier professional sports League in the United States,
and its popularity delivers an unprecedented passionate audience, and a
wide range of events that appeal to virtually every demographic," said
Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer, Visa Inc.
"The NFL's numbers speak for themselves in terms of interest, viewership
and attendance. We know from our own research that this sponsorship
generates transactions, builds our brand and allows us to deliver our
key messages of superior convenience, acceptance and security.
Furthermore, the NFL partnership provides a powerful platform for us to
emphasize to millions of fans the benefits of making everyday purchases
with a Visa card over cash or checks."
Lucio added, "The NFL partnership allows our clients and partners to
participate in business building activities and provides Visa
cardholders with programs that tap their passion for football."
"Since our relationship began more than 14 years ago, Visa has been one
of the League's most supportive, collaborative and innovative partners,"
said Mark Waller, Chief Marketing Officer, NFL. "Year after year, Visa
utilizes its assets in new ways that bring value to their stakeholders
and reinforce its commitment to the NFL. We are truly excited to have
the opportunity to build upon our long-standing relationship and have
Visa on our team."
Integrated Marketing Campaign
Visa's league and team sponsorships provide a wide range of benefits -
including access to the Super Bowl, the NFL Pro Bowl and the NFL Draft -
to connect with Visa cardholders and drive value for financial
institution clients, merchant partners and shareholders. Visa's NFL
integrated marketing campaign for the 2009 season includes NFL-themed
advertising, the fifth season of its financial literacy program tailored
to students - Financial Football, and client and team marketing
programs. Visa will continue to implement national usage promotions and
once-in-a-lifetime NFL experiences, such as ticket and game day
packages, to connect with NFL fans and bring them closer to their
favorite teams.
National Advertising
In the coming weeks, Visa will unveil an NFL-themed national television
advertising campaign with extensions across multiple environments.
Throughout the season, print advertisements will also appear in
in-stadium game day team programs of Visa-sponsored teams as well as in
Pro Bowl and Super Bowl programs.
Digital advertisements highlighting Visa's national promotion and unique
merchant offers will also appear throughout the season across a variety
of websites including ESPN.com, Yahoo.com, SI.com, Amazon.com and
Buy.com, among others.
For the fifth consecutive season, Visa also presents the Visa
Halftime Report on FOX NFL broadcasts to further reinforce the
company's association with the league with millions of television
viewers.
Client Marketing & Merchant Offers
Visa's NFL campaign includes participation from financial institution
clients that issue Visa cards and merchant partners that accept them.
Visa's marketing support for financial institution clients includes
participation in the national promotion, access to Visa's unique NFL
experiences, and other customized promotional opportunities.
In the current financial year alone, 600 financial institutions and
merchants utilized Visa's sponsorship of the NFL and generated 32
million pieces of communication for their customers.
Visa has also worked with its network of merchant partners to provide
exclusive offers that help fans prepare for game and get the most out of
their football experience. By visiting www.visa.com/nfl,
Visa cardholders are able to save at popular merchants including
NFLShop.com, Finish Line, Crutchfield and Omaha Steaks through February
2010.
Team Marketing Programs
Team marketing activation includes Visa Signature cardholder offers,
point-of-sale materials, in-stadium signage, public address
announcements and cardholder incentives such as discounts and offers in
stadium. Visa's roster of NFL team relationships includes the Atlanta
Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland
Browns, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and San
Francisco 49ers.
This month, San Francisco-based Visa also became the official sponsor of
the San Francisco 49ers practice jersey for the 2009 season.
Promotions & Card Marketing Programs
Visa has also unveiled an NFL-themed national promotion and several card
marketing initiatives this season enabling financial institution clients
to strengthen relationships with their cardholders. Programs include:
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Mega Fan Giveaway National Promotion - When cardholders
use their Visa card between September 10 and November 30, 2009, they
will be automatically entered for a chance for themselves and three
friends to win the Mega Fan Giveaway to three of the biggest events of
the NFL season -- a 2009 NFL Playoff game, 2010 NFL Pro Bowl, and Super
Bowl XLIV. The winner and three friends attending the 2010 NFL Pro
Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV will be a part of all the exciting action
including meet and greets with an NFL player and tickets to the
official NFL Tailgate Party. They will also get pre-game field access
at Super Bowl XLIV - a unique experience brought to them by Visa. The
prize package will include game tickets, airfare, deluxe hotel
accommodations, and NFL-themed Visa Gift cards. Official Rules are
available at www.visa.com/NFL.
No purchase or obligation necessary to enter or win.
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Visa Signature - Visa has created exclusive offers for
Visa Signature cardholders, including VIP packages to attend the NFL
Kickoff, the NFL International Series Game in London, 2010 NFL Pro
Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV. Visa has worked with card issuing financial
institution clients to utilize Visa's team sponsorship assets and
provide Visa Signature cardholders with unique experiences that bring
them closer to their favorite NFL team leading up to and during the
season. All offers are subject to availability. Details regarding
ongoing Visa Signature offers are available at www.visa.com/signature.
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Exclusive Visa Signature packages have been created to enable NFL
fans to attend the NFL Kickoff, the NFL International Series Game
in London, 2010 NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV. Prior to the
season, Cardholders also had presale access to 49ers tickets and
training camp, Patriots tailgate and ticket packages.
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Throughout the season, Visa also provides cardholders with special
prizes for showing their Visa Signature cards at select home games
for the San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and New England
Patriots.
Visa Signature helps cardholders get the most out of life with a range
of benefits that save time and money. In addition to a choice of
numerous airline, hotel and other premium reward partners, Visa
Signature offers access to around-the-clock complimentary concierge
services; epicurean events; premium merchant offers; a chance to get
access to exclusive events such as the Olympic Games, NFL Super Bowl and
the Kentucky Derby; and preferred access and seating at local sporting
events, concerts and movie screenings.
Financial Football
For the fifth consecutive year, Visa, has teamed up with the NFL and NFL
PLAYERS to help high school and college students take control of their
financial future. Financial Football is a free money management
computer game and the centerpiece of a nationwide initiative to promote
financial literacy.
Visa has partnered with 23 state governments to distribute the Financial
Football game to 12,000 high schools. Financial Football has
been rolled out statewide to every public high school in: Arizona,
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New
Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota,
Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Since the inception of the program, Visa has presented Financial
Football to almost 6,000 students in live classroom settings, and
distributed approximately 30,000 interactive CDs to teachers, parents
and young adults. The online version of the game, available at www.practicalmoneyskills.com/football,
has been played more than 350,000 times.
Visa also extended the reach of its program to educate another group of
young adults entering the workforce and ensure they are armed with the
necessary tools and knowledge to manage their money and succeed later in
life - the 2009 class of NFL rookies. For the second consecutive year,
Visa presented Financial Football to more than 250 rookies during
the annual 2009 NFL Rookie Symposium to reinforce the importance of
financial literacy and teach the basics of managing credit.
About Visa
Visa Inc. operates the world's largest retail electronic payments
network providing processing services and payment product platforms.
This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments,
which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS
brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world, and
Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering
cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries. For more
information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
For more information, visuals, executive interviews/press only:
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Nancy Panter
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Jamie Soper
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Visa Inc.
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Fleishman-Hillard for Visa Inc.
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415.932.2123
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415.318.4184
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
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Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the "safe harbor"
created by those sections. These statements can be identified by the
terms "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate,"
"expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project,"
"should," "will" and similar expressions which are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. In addition, any underlying assumptions are
forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include but
are not limited to statements regarding certain of Visa's goals and
expectations with respect to adjusted earnings per share, revenue,
adjusted operating margin, and free cash flow, and the growth rate in
those items, as well as other measures of economic performance.
By their nature, forward-looking statements: (i) speak only as of the
date they are made, (ii) are not guarantees of future performance or
results and (iii) are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions
that are difficult to predict or quantify. Therefore, actual results
could differ materially and adversely from those forward-looking
statements as a result of a variety of factors, including all the risks
discussed in Part 1, Item 1A - "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008. You are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak
only as of the date of this presentation. Unless required to do so under
U.S. federal securities laws or other applicable laws, we do not intend
to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
SOURCE: Visa Inc.
Visa Inc.
Nancy Panter, 415-932-2123
[email protected]
or
Fleishman-Hillard for Visa Inc.
Jamie Soper, 415-318-4184
[email protected]