Visa embarks on £1.5m small businesses push

Visa is to launch a &£1.5m campaign in the New Year to promote its card to small businesses.

The campaign, created by advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, is being tested in the Midlands ahead of the national launch next year. It will run in the press, and on the radio and internet.

The push is to boost its awareness in business. Visa is one of the best-known consumer brands worldwide, but it has had a low take up by business users, with only 20 per cent penetration in the UK.

Visa hopes this latest initiative will increase sales of the Visa Business Card by ten per cent. It is being overseen by Visa’s European head of sales and marketing for business to business Mark Giffin.

American Express Business Card is the market leader, but Giffin says the real competition is cash and cheques, which small businesses continue to rely on. The Visa Business Card is marketed by most of this country’s major banks under their own brand.

Visa will be promoting the accounting benefits of having all transactions listed on statements and the benefits of interest-free cash for up to 50 days.

The card is a charge card rather than a credit card, but is available in gold and platinum versions comparable to Visa’s consumer credit cards.

Media buying and planning is by Mediaedge:CIA.