ING Direct has awarded its creative business to John St. replacing long-time agency GWP, which introduced the brand to Canada. The account encompasses strategic counsel and advertising across various media channels.
The first order of business for the Toronto-based John St. will be assessing ING Direct’s brand strategy and identifying possible new areas of growth. Andrew Zimakas, ING’s vice-president of marketing, said the agency change represents an evolution for both the brand and the company.
“Several years ago, there was an opportunity to address the issue of high banking fees and low interest rates on savings. GWP was able to establish a brand that spoke to that,” Zimakas said. “Now, we’re moving into having more of a coaching voice and the transition to John St. is a natural progression.”
The ING Direct account was with GWP for close to 15 years, since the brand’s Canadian debut. “We were not dissatisfied with GWP’s work. They played a very important role in establishing us in the marketplace and we were close partners for a long time,” said Zimakas.
“The financial services industry has undergone dramatic changes since ING Direct came onto the scene. It was time to take a fresh look at how to keep our brand evolving and to stand out from the competition. We’re at a point in the brand’s life cycle where we’re becoming more important in the everyday lives of our clients.”
Zimakas said John St., which won the account after being shortlisted alongside three other agencies in a review, brings strategic expertise and a creative capability that fit well with where the bank is at the present time.
John St. is expected to produce new work in 2012, but ING will begin working with the agency immediately on a strategic review.
In a statement, Arthur Fleischmann, John St. president, said “ING Direct is a ground-breaking brand that has revolutionized banking in this country. We love their passion – something you don’t see very often in the financial sector. They don’t act like a typical bank and we love that.”
ING Direct will continue working with media buying agency Initiative Media, digital shop Dashboard and direct marketing specialists Response Innovations.
