Visa turns common phrase into ad campaign funding for Egypt’s local merchants /

Going local / Local relevance begins with listening. The challenge for global brands is clear: how do you remain consistent at scale while staying sensitive to local idioms, habits and behaviours? 

Walla Visa is a great example of a campaign powered by a local insight – the way local merchants use ‘Visa’ interchangeably for any payment by card. Visa puts this insight to great use, giving marketing visibility to local merchants, making it a helpful business partner and a go-to payment provider for small local businesses who hold an important space in Egyptian society.

'Small businesses make up 90% of Egypt’s private sector and contribute around 43% to the GDP,’ Fizo Younis, chief creative officer at Publicis Communications Saudi Arabia and Egypt told Contagious. ‘But it’s not just about scale, it’s about momentum. These are the businesses creating jobs, solving real problems. In today’s economy, they’re not just important, they’re essential. Visa champions progress, and in Egypt, this is where progress lives.'

By embracing how people already use ‘Visa’ in their vocabulary, the brand also reinforces its ubiquity, turning passive association into active engagement.

Human AI / Visa doesn’t use AI for abstract innovation, it applies it in a human, community-focused way that gives back to small businesses. AI is everywhere – adland is no exception. But what happens when everyone tries to apply a shiny new tech to their comms is often gimmicky, and sometimes straight out damaging (look no further than Google’s Dear Sydney Olympics ad that annoyed people for suggesting using AI to write a fan letter).

Rather than deploying artificial intelligence as a novelty, Visa applies it in a simple, effective way – rewarding authentic interactions rather than manufacturing them. In doing so, it shows how brands can leverage the tech to quietly empower people and enhance everyday experiences.

‘We didn’t start with AI. We started with the idea. And the idea needed a trigger. That’s where AI came in,’ said Fizo Younis. ‘That’s it. No hype. No over-engineering. Just a clean, almost invisible layer of tech that makes the idea possible.’