E126: The Buy Side #3 - Visa

This is episode three of The Buy Side, our series of conversations with senior brand marketers about sport and sponsorship.

Today’s conversation is about life at the top end of the global sports market with Stephen Day, Vice President Sponsorship, Visa Europe. The Visa brand has become part and parcel of the big event experience for millions of people around the world. The company’s partnership strategy includes long term deals with the biggest events rights holders in the business, from the Olympics, Paralympics, FIFA World Cup and the NFL Super Bowl. Most recently, Visa became the first ever UEFA sponsor dedicated to women's football, following the unbundling by UEFA of sponsorship rights from the men's game.Stephen Day’s background in sports marketing includes stints in charge of sports sponsorship programmes at Guinness, RBS and NatWest, covering events such as the Rugby World Cup, The Six Nations and the England cricket team. So there’s a bit about Fred the Shred Goodwin, the tyrannical RBS boss, Billy Connolly and Paul Gascoigne as unlikely ambassadors for Kaliber, the Guinness non alcoholic lager, in addition to the commercial value of women’s sport and the future of the payment card category as we move toward a cashless future. If you enjoy our podcasts, you should sign up to the weekly Unofficial newsletter, where we go in to greater depth on the topics and themes discussed. Head to UnofficialPartner.com to register.

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