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PERSPECTIVES ON DIGITAL CURRENCY

Aug 1, 2012

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Postcards From London: Contactless Coffee

Visa payment application on Samsung GALAXY S III

Like many others, I saw the news about Visa’s future of payments showcase at the London 2012 Olympics.  After reading the news, I was eager to try out the limited edition Samsung GALAXY S III with an an Olympic-branded version of Visa’s mobile payment application, Visa payWave.

So with promises that I would return the device in perfect condition and not completely delete the funds in the account, I headed out to make my first contactless payment in London at the nearest Pret a Manger, the quick fresh-eats stores that seem to be on every corer of the city.  Since these devices are only being trialed by a select group of people in London, the cashier was as interested in seeing the device as I was to try it out.

After ordering a mocha and a muffin, I simply opened the application on the phone, selected “make a payment” and the transaction was complete in no-time flat.  The cashier was excited to see the payment work smoothly (as were the people behind me in line, I’m sure).

I think it’s time to test it out again at other locations around town, including Lettuce and Cafe Nero.  Or maybe I’m just craving more caffeine….

 

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Posted by: Lucas Mast, Visa Corporate Relations on August 1, 2012 at 6:33 am

Category: London 2012, Mobile, Technology & Innovation
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Aug 1, 2012

Congratulations Michael

Congrats Phelps - Go World

With last night’s gold medal win in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay, Michael Phelps upped his Olympic medal total to 19, besting the record of 18 career medals set by Russian gymnast Larissa Latynina in 1964. To celebrate this achievement, Visa has  introduced a new congratulatory advertisement celebrating 19-time Olympic medalist Phelps as the most decorated Olympian of all-time.  During the London 2012 Olympic Games, Phelps also captured a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay and a silver medal in the 200m butterfly.

Click here to view the commercial

For the first time, Visa used actual video and photo cheers from fans in the U.S. that were submitted via Visa’s Cheer application on Facebook to star alongside Michael Phelps. The spot, entitled “Congratulations Michael,” aired on NBC following his win in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. Leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, Phelps appeared in a number of Go World commercials including The Difference and 100th of a Second and was featured in more than 40 countries as part of Visa’s global marketing campaign.

Michael Phelps is a longstanding member of Visa’s global athlete support program, Team Visa. For the London 2012 Olympic Games, Visa is supporting 69 Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls (Team Visa London) along with national teams from more than 30 countries, providing financial support and valuable marketing exposure to assist them in pursuit of their Olympic and Paralympic goals.

Fans can continue to voice their support for Phelps, as well as other Team Visa athletes still competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the form of cheers by submitting photos, videos and text cheers, performing one-click cheers, and viewing content through Visa’s Cheer application on Facebook and by viewing and sharing video content on YouTube.

 

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Posted by: Kevin Burke, CMO of Core Products on August 1, 2012 at 2:41 am

Category: Go World, London 2012
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Jul 31, 2012

Postcards From London: Use Your Visa to Cycle Around the City

CycleHire

From the historic landmarks to the distinctive neighborhoods, London is a great city to see by bicycle. And whether you are a tourist or a local, hopping on a bicycle and touring the city is as easy as paying with your credit or debit card at a docking station.

Barclays Cycle Hire is an innovative, adventurous and environmentally responsible way to see the sights of London. The distinctive blue cycles are located in convenient hubs across the city for less than you would spend on a bottle of water.  And when you are done riding, simply dock it at another station and walk away.

And while it might not be as exhilarating as breaking away from the pelaton like the cyclists in the London 2012 Olympic Games, it will definitely provide a convenient and healthy way to see London.

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Posted by: Lucas Mast, Visa Corporate Relations on July 31, 2012 at 4:13 pm

Category: Technology & Innovation
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Jul 31, 2012

Postcards From London: Visa Wrapped Taxis Around Town

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Looking fast, even when standing still in the mid-day London traffic, Visa wrapped taxis seem to be everywhere for those looking for an above ground travel option. Whether you’re toting bulky bags of equipment across town (like me) or are weighed down with London 2012 souvenirs for friends and family back home, these roomy rides are a welcome sight.

And the slogan on the taxi seems especially appropriate for those looking to make it to events across the city in a timely fashion: “Visa Contactless Taxis Flow Faster”

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Posted by: Lucas Mast, Visa Corporate Relations on July 31, 2012 at 12:15 pm

Category: Go World, London 2012, Team Visa
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Jul 31, 2012

Postcards from London: London Taxis Take Visa

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When I told friends I was traveling  to London, the first advice many offered was to carry cash in case I needed to take one of London’s famous black taxis around town.  While I was planning on riding the Underground as much as possible,  the expected traffic around the London 2012 Olympic Games meant I needed to be prepared for whatever transportation option would be the fastest.

So when I took my first taxi in London, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he not only accepted Visa, but that he enthusiastically did so.  He shared with me that people who pay with Visa tend to tip better by a substantial percentage and it requires him to keep less cash on hand. 

The London taxi driver’s view was similar to those of drivers interviewed for our Currency of Progress video ”New York Cabs Embrace Digital Currency“.

I’m off to another location in London–but expect more dispatches as I explore Visa acceptance and highlight Visa’s sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympic Games!

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Posted by: Lucas Mast, Visa Corporate Relations on July 31, 2012 at 1:14 am

Category: Currency of Progress, London 2012, Uncategorized
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Jul 30, 2012

Celebrating Team Visa Athlete Emilie Heymans

Visa Congrat Ad - Heymans - Eng

Emilie Heyman’s bronze medal performance in women’s synchronized 3-metre springboard  earned Canada its first Olympic medal of  the London 2012 Olympic Games.  As one half of the medal-winning Synchro Team, Emilie also becomes  the first female diver to win a medal at four consecutive Olympic Games.

To celebrate her medal-winning performance, Visa has created a new commercial,  “Congratulations Emilie.”  The commecrial aired on Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium and features an image of Emilie on the podium in London. To view the ad, click here.

Visa introduced its first congratulatory commercial in the U.S. during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and continued this tradition during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, releasing special-edition ads in Canada (“First Gold” which celebrated the country’s first gold medal on home soil) and the U.S. (Julia Mancuso, skiing; Johnny Spillane, skiing; Seth Wescott, snowboarding).

Fans can continue to voice their support for Emilie leading up to the Women’s 3m Springboard on August 3, as well as other Team Visa athletes in Canada still competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the form of cheers by submitting photos, videos and text cheers, performing one-click cheers, and viewing content through Visa’s Cheer application on Facebook and by viewing and sharing video content on YouTube.

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Posted by: Lucas Mast, Visa Corporate Relations on July 30, 2012 at 4:12 pm

Category: Go World, London 2012
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Jul 27, 2012

Visa’s Go World Campaign: 28 Million Cheers…and Counting!

 

With the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games just hours away, the world is ready to celebrate and cheer for their favorite athletes and teams. At Visa, we’ve been encouraging fans to cheer for Team Visa athletes for the past several months leading up to London 2012. To date, more than 28 million fans have submitted digital cheers as part of Visa’s Go World campaign, our largest global and most social marketing campaign in Visa’s history.

Go World encourages consumers to cheer via Facebook, Youku and Sina-Weibo in China, VKontakte in Russia, YouTube and Twitter (US), to inspire Team Visa athletes at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Since the campaign launched in May, fans have cheered in the form of liking the Visa Facebook page, submitting photos, videos and text cheers and performing one-click cheers through Visa’s Cheer application on Facebook, viewing and sharing video content on YouTube, as well as including the campaign’s hashtag (#VisaGoWorld) on Twitter (@TeamVisa) and cheering through partner websites.

Some highlights of the campaign:

Facebook
• 1.9 million fan “Likes” on Visa’s Facebook page
• 400,000 cheers for 69 Team Visa athletes in the form of a one-click cheers and text, photo or video submissions

YouTube
• 25.7 million views of Visa’s Go World commercials, behind-the-scenes athlete content and consumer-generated cheer videos
• Globally, the most viewed Go World commercials include:
1. “The Difference”* (8.5 million views)
2. “Double Beach Volleyball” (3.4 million views) featuring Brazilian Team Visa athletes Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti
3. “A Very High Dive”* (3.2 million views) featuring Team Visa athletes David Boudia (US; diving) and Hugo Parisi (Brazil; diving)
4. “100th of a Second” (1.9 million views) featuring US Team Visa athlete Michael Phelps (swimming)
5. “Perfect 10” (1.1 million views) featuring Olympic legend Nadia Comaneci
6. “Yelena” (1.3 million views) featuring Russian Team Visa athlete Yelena Isinbaeva (pole vault).

The five most cheered for Team Visa athletes around the world include:
1. Li Na (tennis, China)
2. Yelena Isinbaeva (pole vault, Russia)
3. Michael Phelps (swimming, USA)
4. Lopez Lomong (track & field, USA)
5. Azizul Awang (track cyclist, Malaysia)

Within the United States, the five most cheered for Team Visa athletes include:
1. Michael Phelps (swimming)
2. Lopez Lomong (track & field)
3. Nastia Liukin (gymnastics)
4. David Boudia (diving)
5. Alana Nichols (wheelchair basketball)

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Posted by: Kevin Burke, CMO of Core Products on July 27, 2012 at 11:53 am

Category: Go World, London 2012, Olympic Games
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Jul 26, 2012

“Visa Goes for the Gold”: An In-Depth Look at What It Means to Be an Olympic Sponsor

The Difference PR Still

While the London 2012 Olympic Games officially begin tomorrow, the work of a sponsor starts years in advance and involves thousands of people.  From the selection of Team Visa athletes, to the creation of a marketing campaign that resonates across the globe  like “Go World” or the development of mobile payment technologies with our partners at Samsung, the preparations have been long in coming and we’re excited to share our efforts with the world at the Olympic and Paralympic Games over the next several weeks.

An article in this week’s Sports Business Journal entitled “Visa Goes for the Gold” showcases many of the efforts that go into supporting sponsorship at an event the size and scope of the London 2012 Olympic Games.  Among the praise in the article was a survey conducted by Turnkey that ranked Olympic sponsors doing the best job activating around London 2012 and we’re proud that Visa was identified as number one.

People attending the Games will see Visa’s presence wherever they turn—with Visa advertising greeting travelers and Olympic fans at Heathrow Airport, around town on London buses and taxis, and on shopping bags featuring Team Visa athletes. 

As the official payment system of the Olympic Games, we help make the Games happen ensuring Olympic fans enjoy fast, convenient and secure transactions for Olympic tickets, food and beverage and souvenirs using Visa mobile, contactless, credit, debit and prepaid products.

Throughout the course of the London 2012 Olympic Games, we will be bringing you exclusive interviews with Team Visa athletes, insightful data and trends, captivating images and behind the scenes access to events around London as the world cheers on athletes and comes together to celebrate the Olympic Games. 

Visit our corporate blog, Visa Viewpoints, follow us on Twitter @VisaNews  and like us on Facebook to get the latest dispatches from the London 2012 Olympic Games!  Go World!

 

 

 

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Posted by: Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer on July 26, 2012 at 11:49 am

Category: Go World, Olympic Games, Team Visa
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Jul 23, 2012

The Future of Payments at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

It’s an exciting time to be a Worldwide Sponsor of the 2012 Olympic Games. Not only did we launch Go World—Visa’s Olympic -themed integrated marketing campaign in more than 70 countries around the world—we’re giving the Games a modern makeover and transforming the way Visa-sponsored athletes, trialists, and Visa staff pay at thousands of merchants in London and at the Olympic Park.

Here’s what Olympic-goers can expect to see:

  • Visa Mobile Payments: As part of Visa’s collaboration with Samsung, athletes and trialists will be equipped with Samsung’s GALAXY S III. The phone will be powered by an Olympic- branded version of Visa payWave—Visa’s mobile payments application—allowing participants in our showcase to make purchases by simply selecting the Visa icon on the Samsung device and holding the phone to a contactless payment terminal to pay.
  • Speed by with contactless payments: With around 37 million Visa payWave-enabled credit, debit and prepaid cards in circulation across Europe, contactless cards enable visitors to the Games to breeze through London and the Olympic grounds with “wave and pay” purchases at thousands of retailers.
  • Retailers are game: By Games time, more than 140,000 payment terminals throughout the U.K. will accept Visa PayWave-enabled cards and phones, including 5,000 London taxis and 3,000 point-of-sale (POS) locations at Olympic venues.
  • Race ahead with prepaid cards: Visa prepaid cards will be on sale throughout the U.K. and will enable visitors to London to experience the convenience and security of Visa payments, allowing them to make purchases everywhere Visa is accepted and spend less time in concession lines and more time enjoying the Games.

Reshaping the buying experience and simplifying payments at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is just the beginning of what we see as a transformative time ahead.

To see some of what Olympics-goers will experience firsthand, we were recently featured on NBC KTVU’s TechNow pre-Olympics segment:

Let the Games (and future of payments) begin!

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Posted by: Elvira Swanson, Visa Corporate Relations on July 23, 2012 at 9:15 am

Category: Go World, Mobile, Olympic Games, Prepaid, Uncategorized
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Jul 20, 2012

Industry Insights: Nick Holland, Yankee Group–Part 2

Just a few days ago, we posted a video of Nick Holland, Senior Analyst at Yankee Group, discussing consumers’ perceptions of mobile payments and services. In this installment, we bring you the second part of our talk with Nick, giving us his perspective on the future of Near Field Communications (NFC) within the payments industry. Nick believes NFC will become the ‘standard’ in the near future. In his role, Nick focuses on the development of technologies enabling mobile transactions in both online and physical domains. For more information about Visa’s mobile strategy and products click here.

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Posted by: Erika White, Visa Corporate Relations on July 20, 2012 at 7:08 am

Category: Mobile, Technology & Innovation, Uncategorized
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