ING DIRECT USA's ShareBuilder Launches New 'Touch The Ball' TV Campaign that Turns Online Investing Perception Upside Down

WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to investing, technical jargon, confusing trading tools and a blizzard of data can leave many investors feeling overwhelmed.  In a new television advertising campaign, ING DIRECT USA's ShareBuilder, one of the nation's largest online brokerages, emphasizes the extremes that people will go to in decoding the complexity of investing and proposes a simpler way to invest.

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The "Upside Down" television spot opens with Paul, a 30-something guy who invests his money using an online brokerage. A friend, Charlene, bumps into Paul while he is walking upside down on his hands through a hardware store.  Embarrassed, Paul explains that he is overwhelmed by investing jargon, trading tools and the large amount of data. He says that, "I need to get as much blood to my brain as possible...just to make sense of it all."  Charlene offers Paul a solution – ING DIRECT's iconic Orange Ball.  She invites him to "Touch the Ball" bringing about Paul's epiphany that there is a simpler and smarter way to invest, with ShareBuilder.

The 30-second television spot ends with "Get ShareBuilder from ING DIRECT.  No mumbo jumbo. No complicated website.  No upside down."  This year, ING DIRECT's ShareBuilder will unveil significant changes at sharebuilder.com that enhance the online trading experience for customers and help make investing less complicated, which save customers time.

"Handstands are for gymnastics, not investing.  At ShareBuilder, there is no distracting clutter or complexity.  We eliminate the unnecessary technical jargon and overly complicated charts and graphs that only Wall Street traders would understand.  Investing doesn't have to be so difficult and at ShareBuilder we make it easier," said Dan Greenshields, President and Chief Investment Officer of ShareBuilder.

In September 2010, ING DIRECT unveiled the "Touch the Ball" TV campaign to reinforce that there is a better way to bank. The campaign highlighted awkward scenarios such as a "toilet flush" ringtone for text messages from the customer's bank that notify him every time he pays a checking fee. In all spots, the Orange Ball represents a solution for the frustrated consumer.

The "Upside Down" Touch the Ball spot started airing February 14 on premium programming across network and cable television and is available on YouTube.

About ING DIRECT USA

ING DIRECT, 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 it's 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.

ShareBuilder Securities Corporation is an online brokerage designed for automatic, long-term investing. The company's vision is to increase the personal investing rate of the average American by helping individuals build and manage wealth over the long term. Customers pay low commissions on individual transactions, have no account minimum and can choose from two pricing programs. ShareBuilder offers investment products including stocks, exchange-traded funds, and mutual funds. ShareBuilder Securities Corporation, a subsidiary of ING Bank, fsb, is a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. For more information about ShareBuilder, please visit Twitter and Facebook.

Securities products are: Not FDIC insured - Not Bank guaranteed - May lose value

SOURCE ING DIRECT USA