Visa plans Liu Xiang credit card

SHANGHAI Visa International is tipped to roll out its first celebrity-branded credit card in Asia, featuring Chinese Olympic champion Liu Xiang.

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Liu, who also fronts the brand's latest television spot — 'Achieving Dreams' — was signed up as Visa's global brand ambassador after he achieved strong likeability and awareness scores in research targeting consumers in China. According to Visa International vice-president and head of marketing China, Li Sheng, Liu's endorsement marks the start of Visa's marketing campaign for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. "Liu is the first celebrity to have such a high profile, and came on top next to (basketball star) Yao Ming because consumers liked his personality. He is representative of Visa's key demographic — consumers in their mid-30s, middle class, office workers."

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Liu was the first male Chinese athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field, taking first place in the men's 110-metre hurdles at the 2004 Athens Games.

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The Liu Xing credit card, he noted, was still in the planning stage but was expected to target sports fans, with its launch pegged for later this year. "We are in the process of researching the details of the credit card, which should offer benefits from other sponsors he has, as well as travel benefits. This is the first time we have a tailor-made card for athletes and an ambassador."

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Visa, which is also the official partner of the China National Short Track Speed Skating Team, the China National Figure Skating Team and the China National Free Style Skiing Team, shot its latest TV spot in Australia as part of efforts to promote international travel from China.

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The spot — supported by out-of-home advertising — features shots of Liu chasing a kangaroo, jumping over hurdles and helping a young girl retrieve a toy. "To promote outbound travel, we also launched the Australia visa access programme to simplify Visa cardholders' applications of travel visas to the country. Instead of 15 days and seven documents, Chinese travellers now only need their Visa card and passport for the application process, which only takes a few days."

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The next phase of the campaign will see Visa partner with Australian tourism organisations to promote its travel campaign.