Seen Thousands of Times

Creative idea

Insight: When you travel somewhere new, a lot of things feel unfamiliar: the language, the streets, the food, the people. But paying doesn’t have to. Mastercard is already part of everyday life in places all over the world, so even when everything around you feels new, the way you pay can still feel familiar. Idea: You may be new to the place, but Mastercard isn’t. Before you arrive, the people who live there have already seen it thousands of times. We use their point of view to show just how widespread Mastercard is, even far from home. Solution: We have three posters of locals you might meet while travelling: a surfboard renter in Bali, a market seller in Morocco and a noodle vendor in South Korea. Next to each person, we show how many times they have seen Mastercard. Their numbers become proof that wherever you end up, Mastercard is already there. Why it works: Travelling somewhere unfamiliar always comes with a few unknowns. Payment doesn’t need to be one of them. If a local seller has already seen Mastercard used thousands of times, it signals that paying that way is normal, trusted and safe there. That gives travellers more confidence to use it themselves. The destination can still surprise you, while paying feels exactly as expected. How it can expand globally: In each country, we show people from places travellers there might visit next. In Slovenia, that could be a noodle vendor in South Korea or a surfboard renter in Bali. In South Korea, it could be a bartender in Ljubljana or a café owner in Lisbon. As the campaign moves around the world, locals become travellers and travellers become locals, while Mastercard connects both sides.

Agency: Not Perfect Tallinn
Authors: Liisa Aaliste, Laes Oskar Raun