ING DIRECT USA Encourages Consumers to 'Touch the Ball' in New TV Ad Campaign

WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A man sets the ringtone for his bank text message alerts to the sound of "toilet flush" every time he pays a checking fee. A family decides to move at the same speed it takes to pay down their mortgage – in slow motion. A man in pajamas races out the door to mail a last minute check the old-fashioned way. In its new television advertising campaign, ING DIRECT USA, the nation's largest direct bank, uses these awkward scenarios to convey a better way to bank – "Touch the Ball."    

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(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100928/MM72187 )

The campaign, which was announced today, emphasizes the great lengths that consumers go to deal with their banking frustrations. But with ING DIRECT's simple and straightforward approach to banking – from no fee checking to mobile banking to paying off mortgages quickly – they no longer have to wrestle with these headaches. In each spot, ING DIRECT's iconic Orange Ball represents an epiphany.  A friend offers up the Orange Ball to the frustrated consumer as a solution. Touching the ball, the lead character experiences a revelation that ING DIRECT offers something new – a better way to bank.  

"For the past decade, ING DIRECT has made banking simple through innovative products that add value, not aggravation," says Arkadi Kuhlmann, President and CEO of ING DIRECT USA. "By touching the Orange Ball, we offer consumers multiple ways to save time and money – something Americans want and deserve."

The suite of products highlighted in the spots includes:

• Electric Orange Checking – ING DIRECT's interest bearing checking account offers great value to customers without the fees.  Electric Orange does not charge overdraft fees, ATM fees or monthly fees.  Instead, it offers a network of 35,000 free ATMs and an overdraft line of credit and requires no minimum deposit to get started.  

• Easy Orange Mortgage – Designed for Americans who have built up a healthy down payment and are serious about paying off their home quickly.   By offering short-term, fixed-rate mortgages, ING DIRECT is able to offer extremely low and competitive interest rates.  Bi-weekly, electronic payments allow consumers to pay down their mortgage more efficiently and offer substantial interest savings over the course of the loan.

• ING DIRECT Mobile – A bank branch in the pocket of customers.  One mobile feature instantly allows customers to send money easily to existing contacts via ING DIRECT's Person2Person payments feature.

The first Touch the Ball TV spot started airing September 24 on ESPN. The campaign will continue on various national networks including NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX and online at hulu.com, abc.com and espn.com.  GWP Brand Engineering is the brand communications agency that created the television campaign for ING DIRECT USA.

The ads can also be found on ING DIRECT's social media channels at YouTube (YouTube.com/INGDIRECT), Facebook (www.facebook.com/INGDIRECT) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/INGDIRECT).

About ING DIRECT USA

ING DIRECT USA, the nation's largest direct bank and largest thrift, is dedicated to inspiring Americans to become a nation of savers.  Since its inception in 2000, more than 7.6 million Americans have entrusted their savings with ING DIRECT, building the bank to $91.3 billion in assets.  ING DIRECT has developed a comprehensive social media Savers Community, including Twitter, Facebook and its We, the Savers blog.  For more information about ING DIRECT call 1-800-ING-DIRECT, and for information about its commitment to financial education, visit Planet Orange.

Style note to Editors: ING DIRECT is always capitalized and never referred to as ING.

SOURCE ING DIRECT USA