• by Alan Hart , December 18, 2018

This week’s episode of “Marketing Today” was recorded in Brooklyn during the Incite Group’s Brand Marketing Summit. While moderating the Customer Understanding and Personalized Experiences track, I interviewed Mary Ann Reilly, senior vice president and head of North America marketing at Visa. Prior to her time at Visa, Reilly spent 26 years with American Express.

During the course of our conversation, Reilly touched on marketing to millennial women, the scope of Visa’s sponsorships, and how its role as a payment company has led Visa to feel an obligation in promoting financial literacy and education among young people. 

Reilly also discussed Visa’s record of innovation in the payment space and its importance to the brand. “It’s really all about creating experiences,” said Reilly. “But think about your brand — what is the one thing that you want to portray from a brand perspective, what’s the message that you want to bring across? And, for us, it’s about innovation. So, everything we do is about showcasing innovation of the brand.”

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include:

• Reilly discusses her experience working on Small Business Saturday for American Express. (3:22)

• Reilly talks about four of Visa’s biggest sponsorships: the NFL, NHL, FIFA, and the Olympics. (4:10)

• Reilly’s take on marketing to millennial women. (5:17)

• Positioning Visa as an innovative brand: Reilly on the importance of Visa’s role as the official payment technology partner for New York Fashion Week. (9:59)

• Reilly’s perspective on what it takes to maximize a sponsorship activation: “Don’t be afraid to ask for the creation of an experience.” (12:49)

• Visa’s NFL sponsorship is centered on viewership. (14:59)

• Multisensory branding helps Visa create a sense of security for consumers. (17:45)

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