Visa To Evolve Brand To Better Reflect New Payment Opportunities.

Visa International announced plans to refresh and evolve its brand identity and structure. The changes include a new look for the famous blue, white and gold Visa logo and changes to card design features. A major communications campaign will take place between now and the end of the year when the first cards and merchant signage bearing the new logo will start to appear.

“Over the last several years the scope of our business has increased considerably. We were simply a consumer credit card company. Today, debit and prepaid products, commercial payment solutions and processing and authentication services are major components of our business,” said Christopher Rodrigues, president and CEO, Visa International. “We need to evolve the way the brand is used to enable consumers and merchants to distinguish between different Visa products and services while continuing to trust Visa to enable them to make efficient secure payments anywhere in the world. We are also taking this opportunity to refresh the look and feel of the brand to ensure it remains up to date and relevant.”

The updated brand will work better across new technologies and payment channels, such as the Internet, mobile phones and handheld devices. As well as a refreshed Visa logo on the card and at the point-of-sale, it will allow for a new card format that will complement the issuer’s own brand. The well-known Visa dove hologram on the front of the card will be moved to the back and be integrated with the magnetic stripe, making card counterfeiting more difficult while allowing a larger part of the front of the card to be used for new issuer designs or communication.

“These are much more than just design changes,” said John Elkins, executive vice president, Global Brand and Marketing, Visa International. “We are introducing a new brand identity and architecture in a cost effective way that will provide more flexibility and value to our members and partners. It will allow for much greater innovation and support our growing number of products and services in the fast growing electronic payments industry.”

“This is an evolution of the Visa brand that ensures that it stays relevant, innovative and forward-looking,” said David Aaker, a recognized authority on global branding and vice chairman of Prophet. “Every leading brand needs to undergo periodic review. Visa is maintaining its key brand equities while expanding meaning and relevance to embrace its new business opportunities. This change very much underscores the leadership role that Visa provides in the category. This is an outstanding example of creative, innovative brand solutions to an expanding business opportunity.”

The brand changes represent 18 months of work, based on research among more than 7,000 consumers, merchants, commercial customers and banks in 16 countries worldwide.