Riverwoods, Ill., August 24, 2006
-- Discover Financial Services LLC, a business
unit of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), today announced
the launch of a national advertising campaign
that highlights the Company's commitment to giving
consumers more of what's important to them. The
campaign challenges consumers to reevaluate how
well their primary credit card meets their needs
and shares Discover Card's commitment to what
they want most: clarity, control, rewards and
service. The advertising will debut with a commercial
during the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy
®
Awards on Sunday, August 27, 2006 on NBC.
“Consumers are seeking a credit card company
that puts their needs first and delivers straightforward,
great value. Our ad campaign and brand strategy
underscore our commitment to helping consumers
use credit to make the most of their purchases
and finances,” said Margo Georgiadis, Executive
Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of
Discover Financial Services. “We want to redefine
how consumers think about their relationship with
a credit card company by putting consumers back
in the driver's seat so they have complete confidence
in using credit to their advantage.”
Campaign
Challenges Consumers to Rethink Their Expectations
Discover Card's new campaign will include
integrated broadcast, print and online advertisements
that begin by asking a series of “What if” questions
that encourage consumers to consider what it would
be like to have a credit card from a company that
understands their needs and is committed to giving
them more of what they want and less of what they
don't.
The advertisements will feature
animated scissors cutting up credit cards tossed
to them by consumers who are relieved to get rid
of them and move to a new relationship that puts
them first. This new brand imagery reflects Discover's
challenge to consumers to rethink what they expect
from a credit card company and to reassess whether
their primary card is working hard enough for
them.
The new ads direct consumers to
a corresponding microsite (
www.discovercard.com/whatif)
in which Discover Card makes public its ongoing
commitment to being the kind of card company consumers
are seeking, both through its products and practices.
The site is scheduled to go live on August 27.
Following the advertising debut, additional
30-second spots will air throughout network television
scheduled to appear during early morning, primetime,
cable and late-night programming, as well many
of this season's series premieres. Print advertisements
will be included in various daily, weekly and
monthly publications. Online advertisements will
run on websites such as Yahoo.com, MSN.com, CNN.com
and AOL.com.
The advertising was developed
in collaboration with The Martin Agency, and represents
Discover Card's first project with the firm since
the agency's selection in April.
An
Experience and Card That Are Simply More Rewarding
This announcement represents another
strong step in the Company's long-standing commitment
to making Discover Card the most rewarding credit
card on the market; one that provides simple,
clear and meaningful options that provide consumers
with greater value and more complete control over
their account and finances.
“Consumers
want change. They want less confusing interest
rates, disclaimers and fine print. They are looking
for a card that provides meaningful rewards, easy-to-use
features that put them in control, and one that
is backed by responsive customer service,” said
Georgiadis. “As part of our brand promise, we
are building upon Discover Card's core strengths
and making enhancements to deliver more of what
consumers today are truly looking for.”
In order to deliver on its commitment to consumers,
Discover Card is focusing on priority areas for
consumers:
- keeping things simple,
direct and easy to understand. In a recent Discover
Card survey, nearly 60 percent of U.S. cardholders
reported not completely understanding credit card
terms and conditions.
- continuing
to enhance its Cashback Bonus program to
put even more cash in Cardmembers' pockets through
its innovative Get More program and valuable partnerships
with more than 70 leading retailers. Nearly 46
percent of survey respondents cited never redeeming
their rewards because they don't amount to much.
Beyond providing Cardmembers with more opportunities
to earn greater rewards, Discover Card offers
the most flexible redemption options, and has
no expiration dates or caps for active Cardmembers
– features which are sought after by 80% of U.S.
cardholders Discover Card surveyed.
- offering
features that give cardholders greater control
over their accounts such as customized e-mail
alerts to help them avoid fees, selecting payment
due dates, the ability to sort purchases online,
and automatic notifications when purchases or
returns post to their accounts. According to
Discover Card's research, these features are important
to more than 70 percent of U.S. cardholders; and
- providing customer service that puts Cardmembers
first. According to the survey, 92 percent of
cardholders want their issues resolved in a single
call and more than 80 percent of U.S. cardholders
want to reach customer service representatives
quickly. Discover Card measures its ability to
resolve issues on the first call, and its customer
service representatives are reachable in less
than 60 seconds, 24x7.
About
Discover Financial Services Discover
Financial Services LLC, a business unit of Morgan
Stanley (NYSE: MS), operates the Discover Card
with more than 50 million Cardmembers, and the
Discover Network with more than 4 million merchant
and cash access locations. Discover Financial
Services also operates the PULSE ATM/debit network,
which serves over 4,200 financial institutions
and includes almost 250,000 ATMs and approximately
3.4 million POS terminals. For more information,
visit
www.discovercard.com,
www.discovernetwork.com
or
www.pulse-eft.com.
Visuals from the new campaign, including
stills of the television ads and copies of the
print ads are available upon request.
Media
Contact: Leslie Sutton
224-405-3965