Summary
For Visa, the financial services provider, effective sponsorship is all about "brand stories". And its own brand story, that of offering commerce without borders and becoming accessible to everyone, has been greatly enhanced by sponsoring the Olympic Games for 25 years. Its long-term association with US athletes like Michael Phelps, Kerri Walsh and Misty May are representative of a broader international approach, indicating its commitment to individual athletes and markets, as well as to the wider global ideal represented by the Olympics.

Summary
This Company Profile from Euromonitor provides key details and analysis of China UnionPay. Included is a strategic evaluation with key facts about the Chinese company, competitive positioning against comparative brands, and assessment of its position in the financial services market. Brand opportunities and strategy are identified and recommendations for the future offered.

Summary
Citi, the financial services provider, is taking an increasingly city-centric focus both in China and around the world. Such a strategy has resulted from its research insights showing that numerous consumer trends are now common in major urban centres across the globe, from London to Moscow, New York and Shanghai. Working alongside this idea, however, is an emphasis on localising its marketing for different nations, a goal that is especially important in China, where attitudes and preferences can vary not only between cities, but between nearby streets and households.

Summary
This event report details Commonwealth Bank of Australia's response to a variety of consumer and media trends in its marketing strategy. The financial services brand has embarked on a variety of digital initiatives recently, including a Facebook banking service, an upgraded blog, a mobile banking and payment app and an online "data hub" tracking consumer spending habits. Also discussed in the report is the bank's latest ad campaign and its response to the gamification trend.

Summary
Among various methodologies for demand forecasting of new products, the random-coefficient discrete-choice model using stated preference data is considered to be effective because it reflects heterogeneity in consumer preference and enables the design of experiments in the absence of revealed-preference data. Based on estimates drawn from consumer preference data by structural hierarchical Bayesian logit models, this study develops the overall, strategic, demand-side management for new products by combining market share simulation and a rigorous clustering methodology, the Gaussian mixture model. It then applies the process to the empirical case of electronic payment instruments.

Summary
In the wake of negative opinion polling on the reputation of UK banks in general, one brand asked Britain Thinks to set up qualitative discussion groups, and uncovered several ways in which their service and communications could improve. A key finding from the research was that many customers struggled to differentiate between their own high street bank and any of the others. The project also indicated that consumers who self-identify as being 'terrible at managing my finances' are more likely to feel that they don't know who to trust and are less likely to switch financial brands.

Summary
In this article, Jim Speros, chief marketing officer at Fidelity, the investment group, talks about how the company balances Big Data and Big Ideas in its communications. While noting the importance of the deluge of statistical information now available to brand owners thanks to the advent of various digital channels, Speros argues that intangibles and the importance of a strong narrative must not be ignored.

Summary
Lloyds TSB International is a global banking brand that offers offshore financial services, primarily to UK nationals who live overseas or travel regularly. Although the offering generates high consumer consideration, awareness of the brand itself was low - including among Lloyds TSB's UK branch staff. Increasing staff awareness was therefore key to relating the offering via UK branches. To encourage and equip staff to spot customers who fit the 'profile', a Hollywood-style 'Spy Kit' was created. This included a briefing DVD about Lloyds International 'targets', a 'top secret' envelope containing profile cards about suspects and a referrals tracker poster that encouraged competition between colleagues. This package contributed to a 46% increase in referrals, generating an overall ROI of 798%.

Summary
This Company Profile from Euromonitor provides key details and analysis of Discover Financial Services. Included is a strategic evaluation with key facts about the US company, competitive positioning against comparative brands, and assessment of its position in the financial services market. Brand opportunities and strategy are identified and recommendations for the future offered.

Summary
TD Canada Trust had built its position as Canada's leading bank with initiatives that promised to put the customer first. But as competitors followed suit, TD felt it was not getting credit for its latest offerings and wanted to build awareness. To achieve this, it created a TV and video campaign in four languages featuring grumpy old men who couldn't see what was wrong with the old way banks did things. This served to highlight TD's role in "Making banking comfortable" with extended opening hours, Sunday banking and services such as mortgage specialists who meet customers wherever they want. The campaign was very successful, becoming part of popular culture and helping TD being named the number one brand in Canada. In addition, net revenue was up 9.6% in 2010 and 10.4% in 2011.