MASTERCARD | ROOM FOR EVERYONE | 2024
How data turns division into coexistence / Mastercard "Room for Everyone"
Two years after the war began, support among Polish people for Ukrainian refugees had dropped to 52%. As Ukrainians came to account for 10% of new businesses opening, they started being seen, almost without anyone noticing, as "competitors." This campaign used data to turn that mood around.
The problem
The year before, Mastercard had created "Where to Settle," which used data to show refugees where to settle down. But finding a place to live means nothing if you can't actually make a living there. Compassion fatigue had quietly turned into fear of losing jobs.
The insight
A barbershop near a restaurant does well. A bookstore thrives near a jewelry store. In business, there are combinations that grow better the closer together they are. Ukrainian-run shops and Polish-run shops aren't really enemies either — they could actually bring customers to each other.
The idea
"WhereToStart" is a free tool that layers Mastercard's spending data together with data on foot traffic and noise levels to show people the best location to open a shop based on what's nearby. It covers 37 cities in Poland, requires no sign-up, and links directly to real estate listings.
What happened
The campaign won the Grand Prix in the Creative Data Lions category. In its first month, 12,000 people used the tool, and as many as 40% of new business owners used it. Among users, 55% said they believed Ukrainian entrepreneurship was good for the Polish economy — a 10-point increase from before they'd used the tool.
Afterthought
Data can be used to turn people into enemies, but it can also turn them into allies — this campaign proved that. To turn fear into hope, it used a quiet but surprisingly powerful weapon: spending data paired with the right business combinations. I want to use data for someone's future too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2024
