Visa Debit targets growing ecommerce market in India through new campaign

The new TVC for Visa Debit communicates that no matter where a person is located, he or she can achieve his dreams using the Visa Debit card. The ad film is created by BBDO and was shot in Kashmir over a span of four days.

The film showcases the story of a teacher based in a remote village in Kashmir. The film begins with the teacher saying that as dusk falls, children retreat into their homes and the neighbourhood grows silent. He says that the power to change the destiny of silence is in one’s hands. With a little encouragement from his younger brother, he uses his Visa debit card to make purchases on the internet. With these purchases, he builds a cycle generator to supply electricity to his neighbourhood. The whole locality then reverberates with the laughter of children and the teacher says that Visa gave power to his dreams. The film ends with a voice over that says, “Dream to advance.”  

The film aims to dispel the notion that a debit card is a tool used by rich people to shop for expensive things. It aims to highlight the growing use of debit cards and ecommerce across India including smaller towns and cities.

Shubhranshu Singh, marketing director, India and South Asia, Visa, said,"The idea was essentially to say we want people to go online and be aware that there is a functionality where you can happily transact using your Visa debit card. Secondly, to reinforce the fact that being the world’s leading epayments technology company, it is safe and secure to do so when you do it with Visa. This was the genesis of the brief.”

The ad film is the outcome of a ‘BBDO Workout’: a three-day session of discussions in which the client (Visa India) also participated. During the discussion, it was revealed that the ecommerce market was growing all across India and not just in urban areas. Explaining how the idea was developed, Josy Paul, chief creative officer, BBDO, said, “The insight gained during this collective briefing was the democratisation of opportunity. For a Visa debit card, everyone is equal, you are no longer constrained by infrastructure, by where you live or by geography. We then cracked the idea that a debit card is a tool for advancement and that Visa Debit brand could stand for a higher purpose.”

Paul added, “We wanted to shoot at a remote place and Kashmir has been isolated from advertising. This was a great opportunity for us to integrate Kashmir into advertising.”

The TVC is on air on Hindi channels and will also explore the digital medium. It is a multimedia campaign across seven languages.

Read the complete interview with Visa's Uttam Nayak and Shubranshu Singh here

Credits:
Client: Visa India
Agency: BBDO/Proximity India
Chief creative officer: Josy Paul
Executive creative director: Raj DeepakDas
Creative director and writer: Vikrant Yadav
Creative director (Art): Sandeep Sawant
Planning: Ajai Jhala and Rajat Mendhi
AVP: Shefali Kothari
AVP (Digital): Punit Singh
Account management: Sherwan Ahsan, Mehak Batra
Production house: Chrome Pictures Pvt Ltd
Director: Amit Sharma
Producer: Prafull Sharma
Dialogue: Gulzar saab
Music: Shantanu Moitra
DOP: Anay Goswani