We may not feel much about our monetary transactions, let alone be moved by the technology that enables them. But Visa wants to change that with its new global campaign debuting during the Academy Awards. This is the first work from Visa’s new agency partner Anomaly after the financial brand parted ways with Wieden+Kennedy earlier this year.



The cinematic spot, “Typewriter,” follows a woman who impulsively pops into a small business to buy a vintage typewriter. As she waits to be rung up at the register, her imagination takes off on a fantasy tour of potential careers that her new purchase might enable: writer of books turned into movies; chef who develops famous recipes; travel zine creator who’s so successful she needs an exotic vacation.

Though “Typewriter” has a travel theme echoing Visa’s U.S. tagline, “It’s everywhere you want to be,” the exploration Visa is concerned with here is of a more existential nature.

“It’s about the idea that embedded in every transaction is the potential of who you want to become,” Jeff Cha, global head of brand at Visa, told ADWEEK. “It’s not everywhere you want to be, but it’s the who you want to be.”

The new spot builds on “Prodigies,” Visa’s ad during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games that spoke to the necessity of the behind-the-scenes grind involved in achieving virtuoso status. “Typewriter” has a more lighthearted tone, but it shares a theme of homing in on human potential.

Visa’s subtle shift in gear points to both the brand’s evolution and its biggest challenge. Visa may be nearly everywhere, but it’s also gotten a bit lost in the digital noise, according to Cha.

Older consumers who remember Visa before it was branded “a world leader in digital payments” may already have a sense of trust in and allegiance to the brand. But next-gen consumers—people in the age range of 18 to 34—generally aren’t as familiar with the company’s purpose, he explained.

“We have to remind people,” Cha said. “Visa does so many things… but for a consumer, at the end of the day, it’s the thing that helps the credit cards be a credit card or a debit card be a debit card. It’s been called the rails that the payment actually happens on between the seller and a consumer.”

“Typewriter” will broadcast on ABC during the 2025 Oscars on Sunday, March 2 and extend onto Hulu for those watching the show live on the streaming platform. Shorter cutdowns of the ad will support key business use-cases (cross-border travel, everyday spend, and eCommerce).

The ad’s narrative is a perfect fit for the awards show, Cha said.

“Part of the story has a component that’s about someone who might become a screenwriter, so that just felt contextually like a fun place,” Cha continued. “We didn’t plan for it, but the timing worked.”

Visa will also collaborate with creators to develop content on Instagram and TikTok, focusing on personal stories about “that one purchase” that was pivotal in their path to becoming who they are today.

Find out more on Anomaly.

This article was originally published on Adweek.