The Campaign

Vietnamese millennials don't like being sold to. They like being entertained. There has been a proliferation of music videos in Vietnam in the past year. Pepsi and 7Up, nationwide mobile phone distributor Thegiodidong, home appliances giant Dien May Xanh, Unilever brands and many more, all creating online MVs that are more entertainment than hard sell. We commissioned a catchy Rap song for Visa explaining the benefits of using their debit card when you buy stuff online. And we worked with a dance group to create a routine that would bring the track to life. But we had an entirely different approach than simply using chunks of TV media budget to promote our film online. We made it a live stunt – performed real-time to an unsuspecting audience of hundreds of thousands with zero media spend. And it would stay online, keep being shared.

Creative Execution

One studio. Nine dancers. 3 celebrity Facebook Live Sellers. Three weeks from concept approval to the first performance. Three live broadcasts at 7.30pm on 5 July, 12 July and 13 July. Facebook Live initially then the three stunts are hosted on our celebrity's Facebook pages on-going. 9.3million+: the potential audience of our celebrity's Facebook followers. And this is only the start. In August, Visa will run more stunts with Uber and CGV cinemas across Vietnam.And made Visa the most talked about financial company on social media.

Across the three stunts, we had • 600,000+ live views • 2,000+ shares • 10,700+ comments • And 51,000+ likes, loves and laughs (These figures grow daily as the stunts are just three weeks old and being shared, liked and commented on every day.) 6 months ago, Visa was perceived as a ‘brand for older people’. Immediately after these films, Visa’s brand perception as innovative hit 74%, relevant hit 80% and progressive hit 82%, almost double the benchmarks. Almost 600,000 live views across the three broadcasts and over 8,000 comments. It has contributed to a 46% YOY growth of active Visa Debit cards (2017 vs 2016).

You're watching famous celebrities selling live on Facebook Live. You're in full purchase mode, cash in hand. Suddenly, music starts, the (fake) wall behind them slides back to reveal a troupe of dancers in different costumes (relevant to purchases) doing a routine while the Rap lyrics tell you about why it's better to pay with Visa. Never been seen before, Visa used these three dramatic takeovers to delight the huge live audiences into considering using their cards instead of cash. And the response was outstandingly positive in terms of reactions, sharing and spend, far above Visa's benchmarks.

Half the population of Vietnam watch videos on their mobiles and are active Facebook users, 60% between the ages of 18 and 34 (source: wearesocial). Facebook Live is used all over the world, often to show off whichever location you're in to your friends. Not so in Vietnam where a very large and growing number of people have taken to selling directly online. There are now tens of thousands of one man/woman businesses who sell everything from handbags to shoes, clothes to cosmetics, kid's products to, well, anything really. The ones who gets the most live, real-time views are celebrities: models, actors, singers, 'It/Hot' girls. Some have 1million+ followers on Facebook. A great place for a dramatic takeover, one where Visa could explain their benefits over cash on delivery when our millennials are in 'purchase mode'. And it would be the first time ever for a brand to do this.