Inclusive by Design

When Mastercard and McCann debuted “Priceless” in 1997, the campaign captured people’s hearts with a breakthrough idea: in a world of conspicuous consumption, what really matters are the things that money can’t buy—like taking your child to their first game at the ballpark.

Mastercard and McCann realized that to continue to deliver on “Priceless,” the brand platform could not ignore the 1.4 billion people globally excluded from the financial system due to discrimination, exploitation and more. With financial inclusion now central to Mastercard’s brand purpose, “Priceless” has evolved beyond messaging into groundbreaking product innovations, tools and platforms.

Among them: the “True Name” card allowing transgender individuals to have their real names inscribed on their credit cards; the “Touch Card” system that lets sight-impaired consumers to distinguish their credit, debit and pre-paid cards by touch; the Cannes Lions Grand Prix and Titanium-honored “Where to Settle” tool that helps Ukrainian refugees in Poland find the idea areas to make their new homes, the Grand Prix winning “Where to Start” tool that helps create a symbiotic financial ecosystem between resettled Ukrainian refugees and their Polish neighbors, and the new “Life Donor Card” and “ATM Voting” projects, which have turned millions of users into organ donors and helped citizens decide how the government uses their money, respectively.

While the campaigns have been life-changing for millions, they have also been a game-changer for Mastercard’s business, raising revenue 88% and increasing brand value 89% since 2018. They also expanded the brand’s global base of cardholders and expanded the profile of Mastercard’s B2B technology division.