Visa Celebrates Fans Who Make Football Better Together with Trip for One Winner and 10 Friends to Super Bowl XLVI
SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 15, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), a proud sponsor of the NFL since 1995, announced today a new national promotion offering Visa cardholders the unique opportunity to win a trip for themselves and 10 friends to Super Bowl XLVI to witness first-hand all the sights, sounds and excitement of the biggest event in football. The Visa You & 10 Super Bowl Sweepstakes representsa key component of Visa's integrated marketing campaign for the 2011 NFL season that will also include national advertising, social media executions, client and merchant activation programs, new NFL team relationships, and the seventh season of Financial Football, an educational program to promote financial literacy in high schools nationwide.
Through Dec. 27, 2011, Visa cardholders in the United States will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for themselves and 10 friends to Super Bowl XLVI when they use their Visa card. The winner and all 10 of his or her guests will receive: tickets to the NFL Experience and Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Ind., roundtrip airfare and ground transportation, hotel accommodations, admission to a NFL-sponsored party, a meal with an NFL player, and a Visa gift card. Visit www.visa.com/nfl for additional promotion details. No purchase or obligation is necessary to enter or win. The winner will be announced in early January.
"Fans experience the NFL in a variety of different ways throughout the season but one constant we've observed is that they enjoy it most when sharing it with other fans, whether that's through fantasy leagues, pre-game rituals, watching games or discussing the game as the season unfolds, face-to-face or on social networks," said Alex Craddock, Head of North America Marketing, Visa Inc. "This campaign and promotion aim to celebrate the social aspect of being an NFL fan and reward our cardholders who enjoy their NFL experience even more when they are surrounded by friends and family."
Advertising
In October, Visa will introduce its advertising campaign featuring national television commercials and social media extensions, celebrating the inherently social nature of enjoying NFL gameday with friends and reinforcing the ways that Visa enhances their experience.
For the eighth consecutive season, Visa also will present the Visa Halftime Report on FOX NFL broadcasts to further reinforce the company's 16-year relationship with the league before millions of television viewers. Extending its relationship with Yahoo! for a third NFL season, Visa will also be a sponsor of Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football presenting the Yahoo! Sports StatTracker(R), as well as mobileand iPad applications.
Client & Merchant Activation
Visa's league and team sponsorships provide a wide range of opportunities for financial institution clients & merchant partners to connect with Visa cardholders - including access to the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, the NFL Playoffs and the NFL Draft - and drive value for their businesses and shareholders.
This year's NFL campaign will include participation by more than 600 financial institutions that issue Visa cards. Visa's marketing support for financial institution clients includes participation in the national promotion, access to Visa Signature's unique NFL experiences, and other customized promotional opportunities such as on-field access during the Super Bowl warm-up.
Team Marketing Programs
New for this season, Visa has become the exclusive payment services sponsor of the Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers, adding to its roster that already includes the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers.
As the proud sponsor of 15 NFL teams, Visa is the preferred card for ticket sales, concessions and merchandise and will have point-of-sale branding online and at all team payment terminals within the stadiums, including concession areas and team shops.
Financial Football
For the seventh 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 video game and the centerpiece of a nationwide initiative to promote financial literacy. Visa has partnered with 29 state governments to distribute the Financial Football game to more than 12,000 high schools. Financial Football has been rolled out statewide to every public high school in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Since the inception of the program, Visa has presented Financial Football to more than 6,000 students in live classroom settings and distributed more than 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 450,000 times.
Visa will kick off the 2011 NFL season on Sept. 13 in Atlanta, Ga. with a lively game of Financial Football with local students.
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks--VisaNet--that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
SOURCE: Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. Nancy Panter, 650-432-1454 npanter@visa.com or Fleishman-Hillard for Visa Inc. Dianna Mangiantini, 415-318-4182 dianna.mangiantini@fleishman.com