Mastercard’s Effort to Help Ukrainian Refugees Wins Sustainable Development Goals Grand Prix

After Russia invaded Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians were displaced, many arriving in Poland. The humanitarian crisis moved Mastercard to helped get them settled to alleviate a housing crisis. The brand’s effort, “Where to Settle,” earned the Sustainable Development Goals Grand Prix at Cannes today.

The Glass Lion for Change went to an effort to help domestic abuse victims for the Korean National Police Agency, “Knock Knock” by Cheil Worldwide, while the Grand Prix for Good prize was awarded to Havas Paris’ “Anne De Gaulle,” which brought awareness to a French foundation that provides care and support for people with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Sustainable Development Goals Lions

The Russian invasion of Ukraine found Europe facing the biggest migration crisis since the time following World War II, with millions flooding into Poland’s biggest city, Warsaw, which created a housing crisis.

Mastercard jumped into action with the help of McCann Poland, using data to build the site “WhereToSettle.” The effort cross-referenced Mastercard transactions with salary info and job data from the Poland statistics office, along with real estate information. The site showed Ukrainian migrants in Poland where they could settle, find jobs and build lives, many of which were in Poland’s smaller communities. The effort found over 20% of Ukrainians who migrated to Poland used WhereToSettle.

Jury president Jean Lin, chief culture officer of Dentsu Group, said that WhereToSettle was more than a grand gesture, it contributed to society and enabled action over promises and awareness.

“We’re not looking for more sad stories that talk about the problems we face,” said Lin in a press conference. “We’re looking for real solutions … [this is] a bold and optimistic message that will encourage more brands to jump in and take action. It helped refugees in Poland start new life with dignity.”

Sustainable Development Gold winners

• Solar Impulse, “Prêt à Voter” by Publicis Conseil France.
• SFBO French-Brazilian Society of Oncology, “Dogs Without Borders” by VMLY&R U.S., Brazil, Spain.

Glass: The Lion for Change

Over the past eight years, domestic violence in South Korea has increased by 718%, yet only 2% of incidents are reported to police. To help those in need, Cheil Worldwide and the Korean National Police Agency created “Knock Knock,” a silent emergency call. Women in trouble could silently dial emergency number 112 and tap, or “knock,” any number twice, which alerted police, who would send a link to allow police to see what was happening through the caller’s camera. The effort also included a secret chat mode.

“Knock Knock” was advertised on beauty channels, salons and other places frequented by women and it became the official emergency call in South Korea.

Calling it a “staggering achievement and a very brave exercise,” jury president Tea Uglow, president and founder of Dark Swan Institute, awarded the Glass: The Lion for Change to the campaign.

“This required years, months, hours, intense relationship with government and police to develop something that will work, save lives and actually transforms emergency services,” said Uglow at a press conference.

Glass Gold winner

• EBM, “Schoolgirl Newscasters” by Impact BBDO United Arab Emirates.

Grand Prix for Good

The Fondation Anne de Gaulle has been around for nearly 80 years, but few French people knew it existed. It was founded in 1945 by celebrated French general and president Charles de Gaulle for his daughter Anne, who had Down syndrome, to encourage inclusion of disabilities in society.

To bring more attention to the organization and its cause, Havas Paris spearheaded an effort to change the name of Paris’ airport to Anne de Gaulle Airport. The week-long effort included road signs, baggage tags and even repainting the building and it helped disabled people in France be “not only unignorable but celebrated,” as the case study stated.

“This was transformational for the client, which existed for decades … impactful, memorable, tastefully done,” said jury president David Droga, CEO of Accenture Song, at a press conference.

Follow all of Adweek’s Cannes Lions coverage here.