As part of its global ‘More People Go with Visa’ campaign, the credit card company has created a 30-second spot paying tribute to hockey fans. The ad began running in French and English on sports stations including ESPN, the NHL Network, the Score, TSN, RDS and CBC, and airs until the end of the playoffs. OMD handled the media buy.

Visa is the official payment card of the NHL, and the commercial is Visa’s first sponsorship spot of the campaign. The company is planning more ads to highlight its other sponsorship properties, such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Olympics, and the FIFA World Cup. ‘We don’t do television advertising for all of our activities,’ says Visa Canada’s head of marketing, Brenda Woods. ‘Because the NHL is viewed on television, it makes sense for us to be there.’

The ‘Go Fans’ ad was created by TBWAToronto, while Montreal’s Tam-TamTBWA assisted with the French version. The spot tips its hat to avid fans with shots of hockey paraphernalia, such as Muskoka chairs made from hockey sticks, a dog in an Ottawa Senators jersey and a car painted in Flyers colours. ‘In connecting Visa to the sport, we were showing all the kinds of purchases you might make in expressing your support of the team,’ Woods tells MiC.

The spots follow Visa Infinite print and OOH launched in April, and small business radio and print launched in May. Both campaigns are ongoing as part of the ‘More People Go with Visa’ umbrella.