Liga BBVA Soccer Stars Iker Casillas and Andres Iniesta Named New Global Ambassadors for BBVA

MADRID, Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --  BBVA announced the signing of internationally renowned soccer players Iker Casillas and Andres Iniesta as BBVA Group global brand ambassadors. Casillas and Iniesta will work to promote the BBVA Group around the world, as well as the values of Liga BBVA, the world's best soccer league.

Real Madrid's goalie and FC Barcelona's midfielder were chosen because they share BBVA's  values of humility, honesty, quality as well as  a similar international profile. The naming of Casillas and Iniesta as brand ambassadors for the BBVA Group is in line with both the Group's commitment to sports and sponsorship of Liga BBVA as the league that moves the world.

The multi-year agreement with the players, includes international collaborations beyond the use of the soccer players' images. These include staging a soccer camp for children and corporate social responsibility initiatives in developing countries. Iniesta and Casillas will also participate in exclusive commercial promotions targeting  customers and potential customers of BBVA.

According to Ignacio Maldonado, BBVA Group's global head of advertising, sponsorships and content, by naming Iniesta and Casillas as brand ambassadors, "The bank is adding two archetypes of humble success for millions of people around the world, especially for children everywhere."

Iniesta and Casillas to kick off the new season with Liga BBVA's first global advertising campaign

The two-month multi-lingual advertising campaign will be featured in both conventional and digital media in over 20 countries including Spain, Mexico, the U.S., Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and the Caribbean region.

The objective of the commercial entitled "Liga BBVA, the League that moves the world," is to boost bank leadership and global positioning, as well as geographic expansion. With 50 scenes shot around the world, the commercial visually demonstrates Liga BBVA's two ambassadors moving and stopping the world by making the earth into a giant soccer ball.

The campaign was created and managed by AFTERSHARE.TV, under the direction of Risto Mejide, Marc Ros and Sergio de Mesones, and produced by Bruce St. Clair of Garage Films. Prestigious post-production company, London Mill, was in charge of the visual effects.  

The campaign debuted at the Spanish Supercup match between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid on Aug. 14 and will also be shown during the first round of  the 2011-2012 Liga BBVA season.

To access the commercial, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSur4eNi_zw&feature=channel_video_title

About BBVA Group

BBVA is a global group that offers individual and corporate customers the most complete range of financial and non-financial products and services. It enjoys a solid leadership position in the Spanish market, where it first began its activities over 150 years ago. It also has a leading franchise in South America; it is the largest financial institution in Mexico; one of the 20th largest U.S. commercial banks and one of the few large international groups operating in China. BBVA employs 110,000 people in over 30 countries around the world, has more than 48 million customers and 900,000 shareholders.

SOURCE BBVA