financial services

Visa Finds Success With FIFA Social Media

Visa

Visa says its global FIFA World Cup "Go Fans" campaign has hit several digital milestones. The company is adding a sweepstakes to the mix for the final weeks of the tournament.

The San Francisco-based company is using two social media channels, YouTube and Facebook, to connect with soccer fans worldwide. Results from the first few weeks of the tournament have exceeded early expectations, according to a Visa spokesperson.

The Go Fans YouTube channel has attracted more than 5.6 million video views to date. Americans account for the largest Go Fans video viewership at 1,665,218 views, while Mexico and Brazil trail slightly at 1,524,209 and 1,295,921, respectively.

Drawing nearly 800,000 views in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup alone, the YouTube channel enables soccer fans to express their support of their national teams by viewing, uploading and sharing videos capturing creative, entertaining, passionate or humorous goal calls.

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To drive additional interest, Visa is holding a promotion on the YouTube channel that runs until the tournament's end, July 11. Viewers can enter the "Visa Watch Your Way To Brazil" sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In addition to the grand prize trip, fans will have the chance to win weekly prizes, including $100 Visa gift cards.

The Visa Match Planner Facebook application has been downloaded by more than 53,000 fans to date. It launched in May to allow fans to create customizable viewing schedules to share with friends via social networking channels. Available in English, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese, the planner will be customized for each of the 32 qualified countries and allows users to organize match viewing parties, chat with friends, track scores and standings, and obtain exclusive offers from merchants such as the "FIFA Official Store" on FIFA.com.

"We're extremely pleased with the fans' response and interest in our social media extensions, which were developed to provide them with an outlet to express their passion for their teams and the FIFA World Cup," said Kevin Burke, head of global marketing and strategy, Visa, in a release. "Social media is an integral component of every campaign we undertake, but this kind of early response truly demonstrates the power of the medium -- not to mention the unique passion that fans have for the sport of soccer." Burke was unavailable for an interview Wednesday.

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