Visa, the Official Payments Technology Partner of FIFA, activated its sponsorship around Qatar 2022 through an integrated, multi-phase ‘For Fans Everywhere’ campaign that spanned an international hero TV ad, social content, plus a variety contactless payment options at the tournament itself.
‘Visa. For Fans Everywhere’ was built around the power that fans have and how their support can change what’s possible for their team.
The hero, multi-market TV commercial, which debuted on 18 November across television and online platforms, focused on global fandom and features football supporters from many of the major nations backing their team with fervour and passion.
The spot, which featured the 1970 Glen Campbell track ‘It’s Only Make Believe’, was supported by an array of activations spanning various media platforms and on-site initiatives in different key markets around the world.
One of the more notable and inventive 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup activation strands, launched two months ahead of kick-off, was ‘Visa Masters of Movement’: a hybrid, immersive experience featuring an interactive pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha where fans could create digital art inspired by their own signature skills and movements. Eligible fans also had an option to ‘mint this digital art into their own NFT’ in partnership with Crypto.com.
‘Visa Masters of Movement’ also included a pre-event NFT auction which featured digital art inspired by iconic goals from five legendary footballers (Jared Borgetti, Tim Cahill, Carli Lloyd, Michael Owen and Maxi Rodriguez) minted into unique NFTs and available on Crypto.com to benefit the charity Street Child United.
Crypto.com is the official cryptocurrency platform partner for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the Visa partnership was designed by XK Studios and used AI algorithms.
Visa also brought an array of innovative payment methods to Qatar 2022 with more than 5,300 bespoke installed contactless-enabled payment terminals throughout all official venues – including the eight stadiums and the FIFA Fan Festival site. These ranged from established systems to limited edition pilots to trial and showcase new technologies: including ‘Pay with Your Face’ (in a collaboration between Qatar National Bank (QNB) and POP ID and supported by Visa via tokenization), Animated Card Art (a digital prepaid card obtained by scanning a QR code which can be added to a mobile wallet and features the tournament’s official La’eeb mascot), Tap To Phone (an app based option) and Tap to Ride (to keep Doha traffic flowing smoothly during the tournament in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport to enable contactless and smartphone taxi payment).
“As FIFA’s long-standing partner, Visa wants to give football fans from around the world the best way to pay in Qatar, while experiencing exciting new innovations such as the fusion of art, football and technology at Visa’s Masters of Movement venue,” explained Visa SVP and Group Country Manager for GCC Dr Saeeda Jaffar. “With thousands of contactless payment terminals, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 promises to be the most payment-enabled FIFA tournament ever for the more than one million fans coming to enjoy the magic of football.”
“The FIFA World Cup is one of the most anticipated sporting events in the world, and we are incredibly excited to give fans a new way to engage with this epic event,” added Crypto.com CMO Steven Kalifowitz. “We are thrilled to partner with Visa in bringing Visa Masters of Movement to life and offering fans the opportunity to create and collect the most unique collectibles at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 that will live forever on the blockchain.”
Comment
Visa, which has been FIFA’s Official Payment Technology Partner since 2007, is a long-time global soccer supporters of both men’s and women’s football and its strategy is built around offering fan/customer experiences that bring people closer to the action.
As well as its role in providing comprehensive payments innovations and options at official FIFA venues, Visa also uses its football and sports tie-ups to bring to life its commitment to uplift lives through the power of sport through programs such as ‘Financial Football’ (a video game that combines entertainment and education in an action-packed virtual football tournament), its 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros ‘When More Of Us Play, All Of Us Win‘, its Olympic activations, plus its Russia 2018 ‘Ultimate FIFA World Cup‘ work.
As a goalkeeper, @timhowardgk has made a career of saving. So of course, he was the perfect #VisaAmbassador for the launch of our latest educational game, #FinancialSoccer.
Score goals while flexing your financial knowledge at https://t.co/zXAEN2FtVV pic.twitter.com/kVU8QTpCXc
— Visa (@Visa) September 28, 2022
The ‘Visa Masters Of Movement’ initiative sets out to be a blend of interactive technology, football, and art to aimed at engaging fans and make them a part of the unique experience of the games – physically and digitally.
It reminds us a little of other physical/digital sports event activations with an NFT angle from the last year or so such as the 2022 Australian Open ‘Art Balls’ initiative – one of the first initiatives to leverage this tactical trend.
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