Crouching Tiger star powers Visa Card TVC

MANILA: Chinese kung fu star Zhang Zi Yi of Crouching Tiger, Hidden

Dragon fame is the new face of Visa as the credit card company plays up

the power of its cards across 12 markets.

Developed by BBDOF/Guerrero Ortega, the commercial shows Zhang dining in

a premier French restaurant. But she enrages the chef by complaining

that her soup is too salty. A fight erupts, allowing Zhang to show off

the kung fu acrobatic stunts she pulled off in the cinematic

blockbuster, and the restaurant is completely destroyed. In the end, a

waiter tells Zhang the soup is free but unfurls a long bill for damage

to the restaurant, leaving the star to present her Visa card.

BBDO's chairman and executive creative director David Guerrero, Zhang

was chosen because the TVC's storyline was similar to a scene in the

movie.

By associating Visa with Zhang, the card giant was losing to reinforce

its position as the world's leading card company, Guerrero said. "We

were briefed to show that Visa card holders have the power to make

things happen and, in particular, to encourage people to use their cards

every day.

We wrote scripts that combined normal every day characters with

extraordinary individuals." The campaign will be supported with print,

outdoor, POS and direct mail.