In the spotlight:
"Where to Settle"
2024 Silver Effie Winner
Effie is about awarding ideas that work, educating about effective marketing and showcasing the best work to enhance learning in our industry.
CAMPAIGN NAME
Where to Settle
CATEGORIES
2024 Positive Change: Social Good - Brands
CLIENT
Mastercard
LEAD AGENCY
McCANN Poland
CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTION
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, millions of refugees fled to Poland—many settling in overcrowded cities and facing rising living costs. Mastercard’s WhereToSettle platform launched in 2022 to offer practical help, guiding refugees to affordable regions. But as the crisis evolved into a long-term reality, so did refugee needs. In 2023, with no big media budget and a complex human challenge, Mastercard doubled down on purpose and data. The result? A bold upgrade of the platform, an effective local campaign powered by social storytelling, and a deep partnership with Polish institutions. The message: smaller towns offer real opportunity—and they’re ready to welcome you. It wasn’t just helpful. It worked—doubling platform use, influencing 80% of non-users, and winning the endorsement of the Polish government.
THE CHALLENGE
A year into the war, refugee needs had shifted. Short-term shelter gave way to the search for stability—jobs, homes, and community. But most Ukrainian families lacked knowledge of the wider country, relying on overloaded cities. Meanwhile, many small Polish towns were facing depopulation, recession, and empty infrastructure. Mastercard’s challenge: connect these two needs with no room for traditional advertising. The mission was complex: create real economic pathways for displaced people—while proving Mastercard’s brand purpose in action.
STRATEGIC APPROACH AND EXECUTION
The solution was to evolve WhereToSettle from a helpful tool into a transformative platform. With new data partnerships and user-friendly design, the tool matched refugees to towns based on cost of living, job availability, and housing. But data wasn’t enough—people needed stories. The campaign introduced “Polish towns welcome refugees,” spotlighting local leaders inviting families to their communities. Social media videos, Ukrainian-language banners, and trusted messengers brought humanity to the campaign. With support from the Association of Polish Cities and the Polish Prime Minister’s Chancellery, WhereToSettle became more than a campaign—it became policy.
Clear evidence of success:
- +136% increase in platform usage (vs. v1 launch)
- +80% rise in Mastercard usage among non-users
- Brand recognition and recommendation were 360% and 228% higher than Meta's industry norms.
RESULTS
- Form completions up 55%, enabling tailored support for refugee families and helping WhereToSettle reach 48% of its core target audience.
- Campaign generated 439 PR clippings and an earned media reach of nearly 30 million, expanding impact far beyond paid channels.
- Recognized by the Polish Prime Minister’s Chancellery, making it the only brand-created tool officially listed as a refugee aid solution.
WHY A SILVER EFFIE? Here's what the jurors said.
