On January 24, we covered Discover’s upcoming plan to advertise during Superbowl LIV. Here is a link to their “Yes” strategy, and here is a link to their “No” positioning.
The “Yes” video hits on Discover’s acceptance in the market, which improved substantially over the past eight years or so. It was an issue that I had with my household banking relationship at a community bank that offers Discover Debit. Acceptance in Tampa, Florida, was relatively low and frequently frustrating. The debit card itself is a viable product but was rarely accepted.
Discover addressed this issue and in the past four or so years, there is only one location that fumbles with Discover Debit: Circle K. On Circle K’s recent migration to EMV acceptance, it has not correctly aligned Discover as a debit card and it forces you to swipe. Short of that merchant side issue, recognition is strong and on par with my personal American Express, Mastercard and Visas.
Yes uses a series of clips that announce the word “Yes”, including the star of the movie Ted, announcing Discover’s broad merchant acceptance.
“No” talks about how there are no annual fees and uses soundbits. They use a series of actors saying the word no, one of which includes a personal favorite, Jack Black. Then there is a tagline to Discover’s positioning of “No Annual Fee on Any card.”
With two commercials out of the way, we are now ready for kickoff.
Overview by Brian Riley, Director, Credit Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group
