Visa’s Alexey Bokov: Winning Hearts Through High-Stakes Sponsorship

As a global banking organisation, Visa has built its brand around trust, a focus that is arguably all the more important in the digital age, but now its product-led focus is betting heavily on sponsorship activations.

Leading the charge for maintaining that image across Europe is VP of brand product, content and experience, Alexey Bokov who joined in 2021 from Red Bull, where he spent a decade as brand director, and then latterly as its marketing director.

It's perhaps no surprise that through Bokov's experience, Visa has been tapping more into supporting major sporting events - most recently as the main sponsor of the Women's UEFA European Championships, as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

That drive to connect with customers through their sporting interests extends further with partnerships that include the NFL, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Euroleague Basketball, and the FIFA World Cup.

The brand's most recent work includes ‘Always In Your Corner Everywhere You Want to Be’ for the Women’s Euros, celebrating the growth of women’s football and Visa’s commitment to connecting with fans.

Supporting his marketing ambitions, the brand currently partners with Publicis Groupe agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, operating as part of its 'Power of One' model.

With a keen eye for all things artificial intelligence (AI), brand experience, and digital innovation (to name a few), Bokov reveals the steps he’s taken in his career, priorities for Visa’s future, and his take on some other industry trends.

Creative Salon: Tell us how you got into the industry - any particular inspirations / experiences? 

Alexey Bokov: What’s driven me from the very start of my career is a deep fascination with people: what they want, what they need (sometimes before they know it), and how technology can be used to make their everyday lives easier, more secure, and more rewarding. I’ve always wanted to work for Visa, so I jumped at the opportunity when a position opened up.

Having spent over a decade at Red Bull, what did you learn from the experience that you’ve brought to your work at Visa Europe? 

Life at Red Bull is a kind of brand bootcamp – it teaches you how to think big, move fast and build something that people really connect with, both globally and locally and that mindset has stayed with me. That experience gave me a deep understanding of how to integrate marketing across every touchpoint, from above the line (ATL) to shopper marketing to content to product design. That holistic approach is something I’ve brought with me to Visa, where we’re focused on building experiences that are meaningful, consistent and add value.

What are your priorities at Visa? How are you looking to use fragmented data to shape real-world, everyday user experiences?

One of the biggest challenges, and opportunities, is turning the vast volumes of fragmented data we have into something actionable. We’re focused on building a more integrated, insight-led approach to marketing, where data identities help us tailor experiences in a way that’s relevant, impactful and real.

At Visa, our marketing strategy is closely tied to product development. Our aim is to take what we learn from data - behavioural patterns, preferences, cultural insights and use that to shape not just how we communicate with consumers, but how we design the services and experiences they engage with.

What can tech and FMCG learn from each other when it comes to product development? 

In FMCG, product innovation often starts with flavour, format or function - things consumers can easily understand and react to. With tech, the innovation is more abstract, and user experience (UX) becomes everything. The UX has to be seamless because you can’t rely on the consumer’s imagination when they’re trying something new. That’s where FMCG’s clarity and simplicity can teach tech a lot, and vice versa. Tech’s agility and ability to iterate quickly can inspire more dynamic thinking in traditional product development cycles.

How can marketers make the most of AI? 

AI already plays a meaningful role across every stage of the marketing process, from shaping audience insights to testing creative iterations to optimising campaigns in real time. At Visa, we see AI not just as a tool but as a team member; it’s there to help us make better decisions, faster. The key is not to treat it as a magic wand. You get the most value when you’re clear about the problem you’re trying to solve and apply human critical thinking to guide, shape and sense-check what AI produces.

What future role do you think AI has the potential of tapping into for the industry that it hasn’t yet done? 

Right now, most brands are focused on using AI to optimise the way they work. But soon we’ll be talking about AI-powered propositions designed for consumers – products and services where AI is part of the experience, not just behind the scenes.

It’s the next big shift: from AI at work, to AI in the hands of your customers.

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

The dynamism. Visa is a place where you can move quickly and think long-term at the same time. I also love the diversity – not just of the people and markets we serve, but of the insights we get across regions and channels. We operate in a highly complex digital landscape, and that complexity keeps things interesting. Every day brings a new challenge, and often, a new way of thinking.

What frustrates you most about the industry?

If I had to pick one thing, it’s the amount of ‘marketing for marketing’ we sometimes need to do. Whether that’s justifying the value of brand, or over-explaining what integrated actually means – it can take up time and energy that should be spent creating impact. But I think that’s changing, especially as marketing becomes more tied to outcomes, data and product development.

What makes a good agency partner?

For me, it’s when the agency partners feel like an extension of your own team – not just delivering work but shaping the thinking. When there’s alignment on values, objectives and even humour, you know you’re in a good place. The best partners don’t just say yes; they ask why – and that’s what pushes the work further.

What is it like working with Publicis’ agencies? What do you value most out of the partnership? 

Publicis has been a great long-term partner for us, and what I value most is their reliability and their drive to solve. They’re deeply immersed in our business, and that gives them a unique perspective.

What work are you most proud of at Visa that collaborated with Publicis?

Some of our most exciting and visible work has come through our sponsorships and through sport – sports is a space where the Visa brand really comes to life. From our ‘Level Up Your Game’ campaign for Paris 2024, which brought together Team Visa athletes and Gen Z creators to inspire the next generation, to ‘Always In Your Corner Everywhere You Want to Be’ around this year’s UEFA Women’s Euros, which celebrated the growth of the women’s game and our commitment to fans – these are moments where we connect emotionally, activate seamlessly, and show up in ways that are both functional and culturally relevant.

What excites you about the future?

The future is already now. The pace of change is accelerating, and for marketers, that means we need to be ready to adapt, experiment, and lead. Whether it’s AI, new formats, new expectations from consumers – it’s an exciting time to be in marketing.