Diners Club International Ltd.'s global campaign to promote everyday use of its card, which traditionally has been a travel and entertainment product, may take time to produce results, analysts say.
Diners Club, a unit of Discover Financial Services, said it and the advertising agency Draftfcb created the campaign in response to requests from franchisees around the world for more utility from the card brand.
Though people who travel for business are familiar with Diners Club, the general consumer market is not, observers say.
"They're trying to increase the brand equity in the consumer market, and it remains to be seen if consumers are interested" in the card, said Megan Bramlette, managing associate of Auriemma Consulting Group. "What the campaign is really doing is hammering home the international aspect of the card."
The ads do a good job of explaining the benefits of the card, "but the consumer appetite for that is always the big question," she said.
Diners Club was due for a "brand-relight," said Ed Kountz, a senior analyst at Forrester Research Inc. "Diners Club is now a niche brand, and it will take a concerted, consistent effort to expand market share significantly."
The ad campaign launched late last year in such countries as Austria, Brazil, Japan and South Africa.
Discover acquired Diners Club International from Citigroup Inc. in 2008 for $165 million.
Bank of Montreal agreed to buy the Diners Club North America franchise from Citi in November.
