Why Visa sees the World Cup as a brand ‘tap in’

It starts with Jason Sudeikis in the make-up trailer for what must be the latest season of Ted Lasso, where he’s asked if he’s heading back stateside for the World Cup. He says no, then for some weird reason, taps his script with his Visa card. Poof! The script is now a World Cup match ticket. 

Thus begins Sudeikis’ surreal trip home, as dramatized in Visa’s new World Cup commercial “Tap in.” The campaign uses a simple play on words—in football, a tap-in goal is the easiest there is—to illustrate the ease with which fans can use Visa in and around the 2026 World Cup. Along the way in the campaign we see football stars Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland, Jorge Campos, and legendary voice commentator, Andrés Cantor.

But while we have the pro athletes, goofy humor, and big name star any major sports campaign seems to require, Visa CMO Frank Cooper says his focus is more on the fans than any celebrity. That especially depends on what the brand’s goals are for a campaign tied to the biggest sporting event on earth. 

“If I’m in the mode where I need to reignite consumer passion around the brand, I do a big inspirational spot, a great story full of entertainment, not tied to specific benefits or functional advantages, just make you feel really good about the connections to the brand and community,” says Cooper. “But if I’m in the mode we are in right now, of reinforcing the things that actually really matter for consumers within the payment space—trust and access—then there is an opportunity to do that, but put it into an entertaining wrapper.”

Beyond the ads

Back in December, Visa unveiled a partnership with Pharrell Williams’ Joopiter auction and e-commerce platform, on a new World Cup-themed art collection, featuring 20 different artists from six continents. The first five pieces of the collection were unveiled at an exclusive Miami showcase called “The Art of the Draw,” hosted by multidisciplinary creator KidSuper. The showcase features the works of artists Darien Birks, Nathan Walker, Cesar Canseco, Ivan Roque, and Rafael Mayani. The rest of the collection is set to come before the tournament kicks off next month.

This ties into the “Tap In” work, as Visa is extending it not only as an online contest of Visa cardholders to win prizes, but also hosting Tap In Studio spaces at select stadiums where fans can see the World Cup art collection.

Visa has been a World Cup sponsor since 2007, and Cooper is more than aware of the pitfalls of just fading into what he calls “logo soup” among so many sponsors. That’s where a mix of big brand campaign work, cultural events like the art collection, and online access to exclusive prizes like match tickets and a potential trip to the Final, to signed memorabilia and limited-edition merchandise, play together. 

Between affordability issues, geopolitical issues, among others, the World Cup has already been significantly critiqued before the first kick-off. But Cooper doesn’t see these impacting Visa’s goals around the tournament. The brand has not adjusted its overall goals and targets for brand consumer revenue, client revenue, or cross border travel, which are the primary metrics.  

“It is never ideal when you have any kind of friction, whether it’s geopolitical, whether it’s economic,” says Cooper. “And we don’t love the fact that in some cases, that makes it more difficult for certain fans to actually enjoy the game. But in terms of the outcome financially and economically for us, we’re really confident that we’re going to hit those benchmarks.”

View the full article