The power of gatekeepers on the corporate level is undeniable. In the software industry Microsoft holds most of the power. The reason; the Windows operating system is by far the most widely used platform. If software companies want to reach the consumers they will do well to do so through a Windows compatible program. Users then need Windows to run the software, and Microsoft grows. Google’s role as an online advertising giant is also strengthened through its gatekeeper functions. With the advent of Google Analytics and Google AdSense internet users have data sent through one of many Google servers every time they leave one page and go to another. The more information that passes through Google the more they can tailor their advertising; the more effective their advertising the more websites will use their services; and the more websites that use their services the more data they are able to collect. Hence the advantage of being a gatekeeper on the corporate level.

Now a set of new corporations are set to take on a gatekeeping role. Credit card companies have been pushing hard to make “plastic” the number one form of payment over cash and checks, and with Visa about to go public with the largest expected IPO in history they will be well positioned to pursue this goal. Evidence of trends toward using”plastic” in place of cash is everywhere these days.

In Visa’s recent line of commercials for their Check Card they suggest that cash and checks are a slow and outdated way to pay for goods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddwa3YlkMlU&feature=related

Even the classic board game Monopoly is making adjustments to keep up with the times. In recent editions of the game, Monopoly Money has been replaced by a Monopoly Visa Debit Card.

http://www.geekologie.com/2006/07/monopoly_replaces_cash_with_vi.php

So what implications does this have on Visa and other credit card companies (Mastercard also has similar products) as a Gatekeepers in the corporate world? With the elimination of cash as a form of payment an increasing number of purchases are being handled through these companies. As gatekeepers in these buyer/seller transactions Visa gains access to a large amount of market data as well as bargaining power both with the buyers who carry their cards and sellers who accept them. How they will use this to their advantages is a tale that time will tell, but we can be certain that their power will increase as their gatekeeping role becomes more prominent.

Additional information about the Visa IPO can be found here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080225/ts_alt_afp/usipocompanyfinancevisastocks_080225160547