Pulseira Bradesco Visa
Visa
The background
Since 1986, Visa is a TOP (The Olympic Program) sponsor. In the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Visa was celebrating its more than 30-year association with the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Owing to this milestone, as part of its sponsorship perks Visa Brazil would like to offer an outstanding brand activation for athletes and fans throughout all venues including stadiums, the Olympic Village and Olympic Superstores.
The insight
Brazil is one of Visa’s top markets in the world, especially because it is a country that welcomes innovations. Consumers are always on the lookout for innovations, convenience and things that fit in with and facilitate their day-to-day.
Furthermore, Visa is the only payment accepted at the Olympic Games other than cash. Carrying a wallet isn’t always easy when you’re competing on the field or simply on the go, like watching a game or enjoying the beach.
Considering that the Visa’s mission is offering better ways to pay, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games would be the perfect setting to showcase new technological payment solutions.
Thus, instead of brainstorming with creatives about a groundbreaking brand activation aiming to entertain people during the event, I decided to research about new payment technologies around the world and figured out that Visa Europe had just launched the innovative Visa Bracelet in Spain.
Today it sounds démodé, but in 2015 it was the world's most technologically advanced payment system.
I proposed to Visa Brazil to pilot the first payment wearable for the Brazilian market in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The action
The wristband was developed by Visa in association with a Brazilian bank, Bradesco. To bring it to life, I worked closely with a cross-functional team of talented people from the agency, the client, the bank and the technology provider.
Visa also had to implement an entire payment system infrastructure and network throughout all venues including stadiums, the Olympic Village and Olympic Superstores to accept the new payment technology.
The new product was available exclusively to the Brazil market in time for the Olympic Games, where it was accepted by over one million readers with NFC technology, including the approximately 4,000 NFC-enabled POS terminals at Olympic Park.
As part of the first phase of the launch strategy, the Bradesco Visa Bracelet gave a group of 3,000 thought leaders and athletes the chance to swipe, tap, dip or click when paying at the games.
To make it inclusive for all users - being or not Visa clients - it was linked to a Visa prepaid card that could be recharged using any debit or credit card, Visa or not.
It came with an app to top up their balance on the accompanying prepaid card, view their account balance, monitor their transaction history, and block the device in the event of theft or loss.
The result
The Team Visa paralympic athlete Terezinha Guilhermina and others celebrated the Rio 2016 Copacabana Megastore’s grand opening by making the first-ever purchases using Visa’s new wearable technology.
“I’m proud to serve as a Team Visa athlete and represent a brand that shares the same values of acceptance and inclusion as I do,” said Terezinha Guilhermina. “It’s an exciting time to work with Visa because they’re bringing the future of payments to life at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”
Merging technology with fashion and sports territories, the Bradesco Visa Bracelet improved the payment experience during the 2016 Olympic Games in all aspects.
This new way of paying made payments easier and more agile comparing to the traditional card with a PIN, something essential for the event’s queues.
Also, the bracelet was much safer than card, an issue for tourists visiting Rio de Janeiro.
In addition to the compelling design and the branding of the Olympic Games, the wearable was resistant to sweat, this allows competitors to not have to worry about anything other than their performance at the games.
It was also water (including salt water) proof. Fans who enjoy exercising, nightlife and participating in sports events vouched for the functionality of this new payment method.
“In our 30 years of sponsorship of the Olympic movement, this marks the first games where wearable technology will be widely implemented,” said Jim McCarthy, EVP, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships at Visa.
