Now that your mortgage is worth bupkis, America's banks have shifted their acquisition strategy. Sure, it would be nice to have your checking account, but what they really want is the big dog: your retirement account. (Even if you haven't started one yet.) It's guaranteed growth income for them (and you), locked up for a couple of decades. Ideal.
I'm a fan of AIG's + campaign for its incredibly repeatable, conversation-starting voice and copy. And, of course, who doesn't get a kick out of the latest Nationwide Life Comes at You Fast episodic jaunt into rather clever and sunny nightmares. But, there's also something really engaging about this fundamentally simple campaign recently rolled out by ING and BBDO...
The spots feature people buzzing along in their daily lives - boarding planes, taking elevators, having lunch - all while toting a giant orange number. Most of the people are aspirational white collar professionals, but there's also a chef, a granddad, a car full of carefree young people. The numbers vary from several hundred thousand to a couple million and represent how much the person needs to save for retirement.
These are big numbers. And, frankly, all things equal, they would be reminiscent of that sick feeling you have in early April when you've been putting off your tax return because you don't know if you owe money, but fear that you might, and a lot, and just are not ready to face it... BUT, these ING spots overcome the fear factor with fun and friendly music and lots of positive motion. In the end, you get: I wonder what my number is. Not: Holy shit, I cannot do this.
The campaign drives to INGYourNumber.com. Which is a great example of why competitive audits work. ING took the best the competitive field had to offer, merged and elevated it, and added their own spin. The result is a site that has clearly learned from its neighbors.
Take a look. I think you'll see the simplicity of Fidelity's retirement planning tool; the personal delivery of Nationwide's; and a little twist on the call-to-action that is all ING.
In the end, the tool isn't a great fit for me. It rewards a customer who likes a high touch experience. And, I'm about as impatient as you would expect of someone for whom even Twittering is too much information. But, it's light and short and there are lots of helpful tricks for people just wading in - like a smart use of (looks like) Ajax to show help tips when a puzzled planner hovers on a question. All-in-all, probably a big win with the target.
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