Secondly, a well done to the team for creating a very charming and endearing advert for the new Visa Flow. The agency responsible, Saatchi & Saatchi, summarises the ad nicely: "Visa’s latest execution in the landmark 'Life Flows Better with Visa' campaign focuses on how consumers feel when they use Visa – secure, confident and agile – and encourages them to take their next steps in the new world of payments, making their lives easier, faster and more nimble. The TV ad shows how an old man becomes not only faster and more agile through their use but also more youthful as he rushes to celebrate the birth of his grandchild."
Take a look here: http://www.saatchi.co.uk/work/grandad-tourismo-2/
What they've done well is create a very universal piece- there are very few demographics who wouldn't respond well to this, and certainly very few who could find anything offensive. It's gentle and whimsical, perhaps more like a real-world Pixar animation than a credit card advert, and gives the audience a reason to watch until the end with it's traditional story-style production.
Indeed, likening the production to Pixar is justified in almost all elements; there is barely a scene included that doesn't look like it was plucked out of a storyboard for UP!: the main character, bespectacled and grandfatherly, the pet bird, the beautiful landscapes, and perhaps most notably, the balloons. They all add up to a very warming production- rich colours and a fantastic accompanying track serve to keep audience interested, both visually and audibly. The fast pace and cute details even encourage to watch a second and third time, each time seeing and appreciating something new or different (for example, the use of light in the final scene.)
Have they done anything wrong? Not in my opinion, perhaps the only possible negative response would be that they're playing it a little too safe. It's certainly incredibly well executed, but conceptually it isn't breaking any boundaries- but then, I don't imagine they were trying to? Visa is an established brand and arguably doesn't feel the need to rock the boat like a challenger brand would have to.
Overall, a very endearing and well executed advert, and a fine example of an advert-for-everyone.
