Lloyd Ryan, a professional drummer, provides the soundtrack for the ad, which aims to build anticipation with a series of characters who pause before making an action, such as a chameleon before it strikes its prey, or a pianist who pauses before striking a chord.
The percussionist, who has led his own big band since the 80s, is credited with teaching Phil Collins of pop group Genesis, as well as Derrick McKenzie of Jamiroquai and Joe Coghlan, who played for Status Quo.
"Ready", created by Saatchi & Saatchi, also features Jiri Orsag, the Czech Republic’s national weightlifting champion, who dramatically pauses before pressing the lift.
The scenes build into dramatic conclusions with the drumbeat coming to a crescendo, which is supposed to convey how fast, easy and reliable using Apple Pay is with a Visa card.
Gary Twelvetree, the executive director, brand and central marketing, for Visa Europe, said: "Visa’s 'ready' campaign communicates the role that Visa plays in the Apple Pay experience, demonstrating the speed, scale and certainty of our payment systems.
"With more retailers accepting contactless payments every day, we wanted to show how cardholders are able to use their Visa debit or credit card on any device and in any situation."
Gemma Philips at Saatchi & Saatchi wrote the copy for the ad, while Marc Slack art directed it for the agency. MEC handled the media planning and buying and it was directed by Sam Brown through Rogue Films.
It launches on television today and will run for the next three weeks, including during ITV ad breaks for Coronation Street, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, and Emmerdale. It will also air across Channel 4, E4, ITV2, and some Sky channels.
In September, Saatchi & Saatchi was appointed to promote Visa Europe's sponsorship of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Publicis Groupe shop won the business after a competitive pitch against other roster agencies.
.jpg)
.jpg)