Visa signs News Int London 2012 deal
Visa Europe has signed a deal with News International that will see its titles become the “official newspapers” of Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.
The Sun, News of the World, The Times and The Sunday Times will run campaigns aimed at building support for the 1,200 plus athletes that will make up “Team 2012” ahead of the Games in London.
Team 2012 – a partnership between LOCOG, the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association and UK Sport – is looking to raise money to support the training and competition needs of the athletes.
The newspapers will include articles telling athletes’ personal stories as well as news on competitors’ preparation.
The partnership is one of several initiatives that Visa, the official presenting partner of Team 2012, is planning in the build up to the Games in a bid to leverage its sponsorship.
Mariano Dima, chief marketing officer at Visa Europe, says: “This [the News International deal] is part of our integrated marketing programme which we will roll out in the next few months across the UK and Europe, using our sponsorship to drive brand preference and card usage.”
