Visa parts ways with Wieden+Kennedy, adds Anomaly to agency roster

Visa has parted ways with creative agency of record Wieden+Kennedy and added Stagwell’s Anomaly to its agency roster, according to people familiar with the matter. Anomaly, which is working with the payments giant on a project basis, is managing upcoming brand campaigns. Wieden+Kennedy had held the business since 2020, when it was hired to handle creative strategy and major initiatives, working alongside Publicis Groupe. Publicis, which handles media, continues to support local marketing endeavors, according to a person familiar with the matter. Visa, W+K and Publicis Groupe declined to comment. Anomaly could not be reached for comment. W+K, which handled the account out of Portland, Oregon, recently worked on a 2024 Visa Olympics spot with a handful of celebrities. Visa, a longtime sponsor of the Games, is signed on as the Payment Technology Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through 2032. (It’s also lined up for a similar role for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.) Visa has the largest market share among U.S. payment card networks including Mastercard, American Express and Discover, according to a Dec. 10 report from Motley Fool Money that compiled data from the Federal Reserve, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Nilson Report. Visa cards composed 25% of the 17.45 billion credit, debit and prepaid cards in circulation worldwide at the end of 2023. (Mastercard had the second-highest market share at 17%.) Visa’s position in the market has recently drawn legal scrutiny. In September, the Department of Justice sued the company for illegal monopolization over debit payments. Visa had measured U.S. media spending of $59 million through the first nine months of 2024 and $40 million throughout 2023, per data from MediaRadar. Ad Age Best Places to Work 2025 50 companies doing a standout job See the full list here Visa ranked 94th on Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2024 with stated worldwide marketing spending of $1.34 billion in the fiscal year ended September 2023. It reported worldwide marketing spending of $1.56 billion in the year ended September 2024. In its annual filing, Visa attributed the higher 2024 marketing spending to various campaigns, including the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Visa’s marketing spending includes expenses associated with advertising and marketing campaigns, sponsorships and other related promotions. Visa marks another win for Anomaly, which earlier this month snapped up Starbucks’ U.S. creative business. In 2024, the agency picked up lead duties on Chevrolet and won a sizable chunk of Ferrero Group’s North America creative business. Contributing: Brandon Doerrer and Bradley Johnson

Visa parts ways with Wieden+Kennedy, adds Anomaly to agency roster

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