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Room for Everyone (case study) - MasterCard | Clapboard Ad Archive
Description
Mastercard’s Room for Everyone campaign in Poland and Ukraine redefines financial brand utility by launching WhereToStart, a digital tool that enables small and midsize entrepreneurs—particularly those in the wave of post-2022 Polish and Ukrainian startups—to pinpoint optimal business locations through actionable, previously exclusive datasets. Created with McCann Poland, this banking and finance market initiative leverages anonymized Mastercard spending patterns alongside street-level environmental metrics like pedestrian flow and noise, synthesizing these into a user-friendly, registration-free experience that demystifies market analysis for newcomers and resource-limited founders. WhereToStart’s seamless desktop and mobile accessibility, integration with Morizon-Gratka Group’s commercial property listings, and coverage of 37 major Polish cities work in tandem to streamline the once opaque site-selection process. The campaign’s communications strategy is as clear as its interface: empower a booming entrepreneurial class—over 310,000 new businesses formed in the year alone—with the kind of competitive insight formerly reserved for multinational chains, helping them navigate market entry hurdles and support economic inclusion. In execution, the campaign sits squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#1—Demonstration, centering its creative on a tangible showcase of the tool’s functionality, transparency, and measurable benefits to users, which is reinforced by a strong showing on the awards circuit including the Creative Data Grand Prix at Cannes Lions and Eurobest, as well as Gold for Direct and Silver for Creative B2B work. By positioning Mastercard not just as a network enabler but as an infrastructural ally—one that champions small business growth through democratized data—McCann Poland underlines the brand’s commitment to advancing innovation and empowerment in the finance sector, tightly aligned with the market’s burgeoning founder community and Mastercard’s prior social-impact tech successes. Clapboard rates this 82/100. In a category historically dominated by transactional messaging, Room for Everyone signals a shift toward platforms that make financial brands indispensable to entrepreneurship itself while raising the standard for creative data’s role in economic empowerment.
Credits
Client
MasterCard
Agency
McCann Poland, Warsaw.
Production House
Craft London and New York, Dynamo Film Warsaw.
Communications Director
Anna Marciniak.
Marketing Manager
Ewelina Różycka., Małgorzata Szczerbińska.
Data Insights Department Lead
Marek Kolano.
Data Science
Konrad Kujszczyk.
Data Science Lead
Rafał Czapski.
Executive Vice President
Beatrice Cornacchia.
General Manager Poland
Marta Życińska.
Head Of Marketing And Communication Poland
Jerzy Hołub.
Marketing Manager Mastercard Advisors
Yaryna Zozulia.
Chief Marketing
Raja Rajamannar.
Account Management
Anna Sokołowska.
Art Director
Barbara Olech., Kamil Rekosz., Adam Głowacki, Paweł Cholewa.
Producer
Damian Szojda., Avery Mandeville, Nicola Haffenden, Plum OKeeffe., Dan Priore., Shawn Sobers, William Kaplan., Maciej Maciantowicz., Anna Łopat.
Copywriter
Anna Posuniak., Ignacy Kotkowski, Kamil Kuć, Mateusz Gaca., Liam Galt.
Creative Director
Bartosz Jeglejewski., Bec Matlioski., Bhanu Arbuaratna., Chad Baker, Ethan Schmidt., Jonathan DaCruz., Paulo Tavora Engler Pinto.
Managing Director
Marcin Sosiński.
Motion Designer
Magdalena Bąk., Simon Harris., Guilherme Silva.
Strategic Planner
Michał Sławiński.
Traffic Manager
Jędrek Zamorowski.
Brand Director Europe (mastercard)
Tom.
Cee Regional Creative Director
Catalin Dobre.
Creative Excellence Manager
Alice.
Executive Creative Director
Costin Bogdan, Luca Corteggiano.
Global Chief Creative Officer
Javier Campopiano.
Global Executive Creative Director
Adrian Botan.
Global Product Excellence Director
Carmen.
Design Director
Nicole Byrne., Max Henderson, Bhanu Arbuaratna, Nicole Byrne, Travis Bonilla, Matt van Leeuwen.
Associate Director
Lexi Vogler.
Business Director
Claudine Gueriaux.
Evp
Oriol Bombi.
Managing Director Poland
Małgorzata Tereszczenko.
President Mccann Xbc
Veronica Bertran.
Svp
Mat Cunnell.
Editor
Aindreas O'Gallchoir, Ilya Katsap.
Cco
Federico Fanti.
Senior Editor
Deydson Rocha.
Cinematographer
Iwo Rachwał.
Film Director
Tomasz Okulicz.
Pr Manager
Iwona Nawrocka-Kilinowska, Aleksandra Gołda.
Head Of Pr
Artur Osak.
Senior Account Manager
Aneta Bebelska.
Senior Project Manager
Izabela Łabuńko.
Client Partner
Paulina Jaszczak.
Campaign Proposition
Mastercard’s "Room for Everyone" campaign introduces "WhereToStart," a digital tool designed to support small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Poland and Ukraine by enabling informed decisions about optimal business locations. Building on the success of the previous "Where to Settle" platform, this initiative leverages anonymized transactional and environmental data—such as spending patterns, street traffic, and noise levels—to democratize access to insights traditionally reserved for large corporations. The promise centers on empowering entrepreneurs with localized, data-driven intelligence to improve the likelihood of business success from inception. Strategically, the campaign addresses a significant market trend: the rapid growth of new businesses in Poland, with over 310,000 companies established in 2022 and a daily influx of around 1,000 startups, many by Ukrainian entrepreneurs. Recognizing that choosing the right location is a crucial early-stage challenge, Mastercard targets this expanding entrepreneurial segment with a free, registration-free digital solution that operates seamlessly on mobile and desktop devices. The tool’s inclusivity and ease of use are critical to connecting with smaller enterprises that lack extensive resources. By incorporating commercial real estate listings via a partnership with Morizon-Gratka Group, the campaign further integrates actionable data within the user experience. The creative approach emphasizes data transparency, practical utility, and support for economic growth, positioning Mastercard not just as a payment network but as a facilitator of business development. This strategy aligns with broader social impact themes while reinforcing Mastercard’s role in driving innovation within retail and finance sectors in emerging markets.
Creative Device
FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION — Directly shows how a product works and highlights its benefits. This campaign fits the Demonstration format because the core narrative centers around introducing and showing Mastercard's "WhereToStart" digital tool in action. The campaign focuses on how the tool enables entrepreneurs to identify optimal business locations using data previously inaccessible to them, with an emphasis on its ease of use, free access, and data-driven results. The narrative cues and metadata indicate a professional case study approach, focused on explicitly demonstrating the product features and real-world utility to the target audience. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
Competitive Planks
Visa – Positioned as a global payments technology company, Visa focuses on secure, fast, and innovative digital payment solutions. It leverages extensive network reach and partnerships to provide seamless consumer and business payment experiences, emphasizing safety, reliability, and broad merchant acceptance worldwide.
PayU – Dominant in Central and Eastern Europe, PayU specializes in online payment processing with a strong emphasis on e-commerce empowerment. It differentiates through localized payment methods, flexible solutions for SMEs, and data-driven financial insights that aid businesses in optimizing payment conversions.
Revolut – A challenger in the finance sector, Revolut offers an integrated digital banking experience centered on convenience, transparency, and multi-currency management. It targets tech-savvy entrepreneurs and small businesses by combining banking, payments, and financial analytics within a single app.
Santander Bank Polska – As a major banking institution, Santander offers comprehensive financial products including business loans, payment solutions, and advisory services. It positions itself as a trusted partner for SMEs, combining local market expertise with international banking strength.
mBank – Known for its strong digital banking platform, mBank targets both retail and business clients with innovative online and mobile services. It focuses on agility, user experience, and tailored financial products to support entrepreneurial growth in Poland and surrounding markets.
Room for Everyone (case study) - MasterCard | Clapboard Ad Archive FAQs
What is Room for Everyone (case study) about?
Room for Everyone (case study) is a 2024 campaign by Mastercard, created in partnership with McCann Poland, aimed at supporting small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Poland and Ukraine. The campaign centers on the launch of WhereToStart, a digital tool that helps business owners identify optimal locations for new ventures by leveraging anonymized Mastercard spending data, street traffic, and environmental factors. Free to use and registration-free, the tool democratizes access to insights previously reserved for large corporations. The campaign was rolled out across digital, direct, and experiential channels, reinforcing Mastercard’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurial growth in the region.
What creative device does Room for Everyone (case study) use?
Room for Everyone (case study) employs the Demonstration format, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. The campaign’s core creative device is to directly showcase the WhereToStart digital tool in action, highlighting its features, user experience, and tangible benefits for entrepreneurs. By focusing on a clear, practical demonstration of the product’s capabilities, the campaign makes the value proposition immediately accessible and understandable to its target audience, aligning with the Demonstration format’s emphasis on explicit product utility.
What is the campaign proposition for Room for Everyone (case study)?
The strategic proposition of Room for Everyone (case study) is that Mastercard positions itself as a facilitator of business development for small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland and Ukraine. By providing the free WhereToStart tool, Mastercard addresses a critical challenge for entrepreneurs—choosing the right business location—using data-driven insights that were previously the domain of large corporations. The campaign targets a rapidly growing entrepreneurial segment, particularly Ukrainian business owners entering the Polish market, and underscores Mastercard’s role in democratizing access to actionable intelligence that can improve business outcomes from the outset.
How does Room for Everyone (case study) rank in Clapboard's archive?
Room for Everyone (case study) holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 82/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive.
Who are the competitors in Mastercard's category?
In Mastercard’s category, Visa stands out as a global payments leader emphasizing security, speed, and broad merchant acceptance, while PayU dominates Central and Eastern Europe with localized online payment solutions tailored for e-commerce and SMEs. Revolut appeals to tech-savvy entrepreneurs with an integrated digital banking experience and multi-currency management. Santander Bank Polska offers comprehensive financial services and advisory support for SMEs, leveraging both local expertise and international reach. mBank is recognized for its agile digital banking platform and tailored products that support entrepreneurial growth in Poland and neighboring markets.
