8350: DiscriminatING Pitch.

Adweek reported five White advertising agencies are vying for the ING Direct account. Maybe ING stands for Inclusion Not Good.

5 Shops Compete for ING Direct Account
The assignment represents about $2 million in revenue

By Andrew McMains

Five agencies are traveling to Wilmington, Del., this week to pitch creative ideas to ING Direct, which is in the late stages of a search for a creative agency, sources said.

The account represents about $2 million in revenue, according to sources. The brand’s major media spending is estimated at more than $25 million.

Sources identified the contenders as independent agencies Wieden + Kennedy in New York and Goodness Mfg. in Hollywood, Calif., and Interpublic Group shops Mullen in Boston and Gotham in New York, and Omnicom Group’s GSD&M Idea City in Austin, Texas.

The presentations began earlier in the week and will conclude by Friday. Sources expect client executives to select an agency shortly thereafter.

The contenders either declined to comment or did not return calls. ING Direct, an online bank with more than 7 million savings account customers, could not be reached.

A recent TV campaign for ING Direct, from GWP Brand Engineering in Toronto, skewers the hassles of traditional banking in contrast to the online bank’s approach. In each spot, a consumer frustrated by a traditional bank is urged to touch the orange ball that has been part of ING Direct’s iconography since its launch in 2000.

In addition to personal savings accounts, ING Direct offers checking accounts, mortgages and banking services for businesses, including savings accounts, certificates of deposit and 401k accounts.