ING has rolled out a new TV ad campaign to accompany its new direction and its transformation into a full-scale bank.

The ads started airing earlier this month, with 60% of the buy on top 10 programs in English and French and the other 40% on specialty channels such as TSN, History Channel, Sportsnet and, in French, RDS, LCN and Series.

The creative will be modified for use as pre-roll ads online, and an OOH campaign with the same look and feel will begin in March, Brenda Rideout, chief marketing officer at ING Direct, tells MiC.

‘The evolution of the ING Direct brand recognizes that Canadians want to be financially independent and apply common sense to their finances, but that they are looking for simple advice and a little coaching to help them along,’ Rideout says. ‘The tone of voice is what we’ve changed, from one where the brand is observing Canadian savers to one where the brand is cheering on savers to choose the simplest path – trust in themselves and take action.’

Initiative’s Toronto office handled the media buy and GWP Brand Engineering led the creative. The campaign is scheduled to run for 36 weeks.

The new ads, targeted at adults 35 and older, show people taking part in day-to-day activities, such such as waiting at the veterinarian’s office or shovelling their driveways, while complaining about their banks and then receiving simple but sensible advice.

‘This preserves the advocacy part of our personality but also recognizes that the customer has to be the hero of their financial lives, not the bank,’ says Rideout.