MUMBAI: 'Your future. Made easier.' That is the tagline of the new brand promise that global financial institution ING has come out with as it aims to boost its presence in the US.

ING US Financial Services CMO Toby Hoden says, "In listening to our customers and through extensive consumer research, we have heard one message loud and clear: Americans want the process of managing their money to be easier. The concept of 'Your future. Made easier.' defines the next phase of ING's brand development in the US. It is a direct outgrowth of consumers' needs."

Hoden adds that in terms of brand awareness and favorability, ING, a global financial institution of Dutch origin which only began establishing itself as brand in the US in 2001, is now close on the heels of companies that have built their brands over decades.

"Five years ago, ING had just begun building its brand in the US. Since then, we've seen consumer awareness of ING skyrocket from approximately eight per cent to around 80 per cent. Because of the tremendously high favorability that ING enjoys among key audiences, the company is extremely well positioned to evolve the brand," says Hoden.

The next phase of brand-building focusses squarely on ING's key stakeholders, including customers and financial advisors. The new brand campaign reflects the key findings of the ING Financial Planning and Investment Study, a survey of more than 1,000 American consumers conducted by Roper GfK that found consumers wish financial services firms were easier to deal with.

73 per cent said they would switch to a financial services firm with a reputation for making the financial planning process easier.

ING is launching an ad campaign to spread the message. The company's senior VP Tricia Conahan says, "With each ad, ING recognises that although many things in life are getting increasingly more complicated, life on the ING Bench is easier. Our ING Bench advertising became an iconic marketing campaign that was key to establishing the ING brand in the US. ING became known as the humorous, offbeat company that liberally used the color orange and clearly did things differently than competitors. Our new advertising campaign stays true to the brand's orange colour, humorous approach and trademark benches, with a focus on how ING is dedicating itself to eliminating consumer frustration with financial planning."

In one of the new spots, a worker joins a fellow employee on the ING Bench and presses a button to order coffee. The two watch the long, complicated process of making the cup of Joe until a small door finally opens with the steaming beverage. Conahan adds, "The main point of the ads is that the financial world can be complicated, and ING can make it easier. With innovative products, tools and programmes, ING is helping to take the difficulty out of managing your money for the future."

ING's new advertising campaign will air on a variety of cable and TV networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNBC, Fox Sports, ESPN and TNT, among others. ING developed the advertising campaign in partnership with BBDO Atlanta.