Brief Explanation

Over 130 million Chinese will travel abroad in the coming year. As these tourists collectively spend an estimated US$229 billion during their trips, they will likely be using a credit card powered by government-owned China Union Pay instead of foreign mainstays like VISA (sources: HSBC, Global AEA Tracking Study). To get them to use VISA, we acknowledged the embarrassment caused by the bad behaviour of many Chinese tourists abroad (e.g., unruly, defecating in historical sites, vandalizing ancient monuments) which were immediately reported by both the news and social media sites around the world - creating a humiliating stereotype of Chinese tourists. The situation got so embarrassing, Chinese authorities issued a 63-page ‘Guidebook for Civilized Tourism’ to its citizens. VISA’s “The Voice” campaign did more than just market a better credit card. Instead, it gave young Chinese travellers a platform to challenge these negative stereotypes. It also made innovative use of mobile technology and retail partnerships to enable a “new way” of travel which better reflected the new generation of Chinese travellers’ growing sophistication. The campaign immediately gave “face” to a proud nation. The campaign successfully engaged 100 million young Chinese in just 2 weeks. Although we spent 34% less on media than China Union Pay, VISA grew +63% faster than total outbound spending as a whole – enabling the brand to gain share over the local giant.