Visa’s activation of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 (WEURO) was bold and different, unlike anything it had done before. It was about playing a significant part in making the tournament a success on and off the pitch, through a true partnership with UEFA and The Football Association(The FA). Delivering on Visa’s brand purpose through action, with women’s football being the metaphor for inclusion and diversity in society.
Right from the start, 2 years out, Visa had the same objectives as UEFA and The FA: fill the stadiums and showcase the best in women’s football to the biggest possible audience. While Visa had its own business objectives to deliver, by working and investing in parallel, behind the scenes, to support the Vision of the tournament, everyone involved benefited.
Although Visa maximised its rights and exclusive assets with UEFA, the ambition for Visa was about much more than that. It was about driving ticket sales to push record crowds to attend games, making household names of the players, giving opportunities for refugees to experience the magic of the tournament, protecting players and officials from online abuse, rewarding the “unsung heroes” of the game, bringing a new audience to women’s football, and ultimately growing the game.
Visa’s sponsorship of WEURO transcended its business and created a whole new set of women’s football fans internally and across their clients throughout Europe. It increased brand affinity and preference among consumers, drove incremental client investment to promote the game and made employees prouder to work for Visa.
