Visa Newsjacks #Perseing Meme By Adapting WC App

FIFA payments partner Visa has reacted with speed to Van Persie’s swan dive header by flexibly adapting its World Cup app to enable consumers to recreate their own versions of the striker’s spectacular header.

Dutch attacker Robin van Persie’s astonishing header against Spain rapidly became the first real time social media sensation of Brazil 2014 as an internet trend driven by the hashtag #perseing saw fans around the world pose for their own personal recreations the image across the internet.

Even the player’s grandfather and daughter have got in on the act by tweeting their own copycat photos.

Visa, in an impressive, low latency addition to its existing World Cup ‘Teletransporter’ mobile app, has leveraged the popular craze.

The credit card brand has recreated the classic header image and is urging users to use the app when taking part in the trend with a socially-driven addition to its core Brazil 2014 campaign.

This builds on the sponsor’s existing World Cup ‘Teletransporter’app feature which allows users to paste a photo of their own face onto players bodies in classic, famous, World Cup scenes from Heguita’s famous ‘Scorpion Save’ to Bebeto’s iconic ‘Baby Swing’ goal celebration.

The app is part of the payments partner’s global World Cup digital hub.

See Visa World Cup campaign case study.

Comment

One of the early examples of a sponsor brand leveraging a tournament news event and integrating it into ongoing World Cup activation.

Of course, it’s not only officials partners newsjacking the tournament – ambush brands are getting in on the act too.

For example, rival men’s’ shaving brands Gillette and Sure are both leveraging the social media interest in the referee’s magic vanishing foam.

See case study.

It’s not only FIFA sponsors benefiting from the trend, Van Persie himself has seen his own personal channels benefit hugely from the spread of the social meme.

The player’s own Facebook page exploded in popularity and has grown to more than 10 million ‘Likes’, while his Twitter feed now boasts 5.47 million followers.

Links

Visa Bolt World Cup TVC YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMd-uW91gc

Visa Golden Space Website

https://www.visa.co.uk/goldenspace/

Visa Golden Space Twitter

https://twitter.com/VisaGoldenSpace

Visa World Cup Website

http://worldcup.visa.com/

Visa Brand Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Visa

Visa Brand YouTube